


A Man For All Seasons

by YourAnonymousGod



Series: Kingsman Torchwood Crossover AU [2]
Category: Kingsman (Movies), Torchwood
Genre: Character Death, Established Relationship, F/M, Fights, Gen, Homophobic Language, Immortal Ianto Jones, M/M, Not Beta Read, Swearing, Temporary Character Death - Jack Harkness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:07:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 33,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27859550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YourAnonymousGod/pseuds/YourAnonymousGod
Summary: Kingsman Golden Circle but with the Torchwood team as well
Relationships: Harry Hart | Galahad/Merlin, Jack Harkness/John Hart/Ianto Jones, Owen Harper/Toshiko Sato
Series: Kingsman Torchwood Crossover AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1965304
Kudos: 14





	A Man For All Seasons

**Author's Note:**

> Had this sitting around since I don't really write for this fandom anymore and wanted it posted. Ending is unfinished but eh.

The Hub was quiet as the two remaining team members worked into the night, Gwen having headed home and John elsewhere under the ruse that the Rift would permit them that luxury as it so often did not, not caring for Earthly times or the fact some people needed their beauty sleep. Even Myfanwy was out on her nightly fly about and Jack and Owen were busy weevil hunting. Ianto was huddled down in the Archives, sorting out the few files they had needed that day while Tosh set her program to run after working through the kinks and errors for the past few hours. She just wanted to run one last test before heading home, wanting it done soon, so she could move onto bigger and better projects like the Time Lock for the Hub she had in mind. She relaxed back in her seat, far it was working fine, eyes scanning the writing and sipping on her coffee which was starting to go cold. Ianto, if he was up here, would have replaced it already without a work and a tiny smile and Tosh was ever thankful for her friend's thoughtfulness, knowing he wasn’t nearly appreciated enough for it. 

Sipping the stone-cold coffee, Tosh grimaced, ripping her eyes away from the screen and looking over at the coffee machine, not even daring to think about using it and there was absolutely no way Ianto would have instant coffee lying around in the Hub so there was no point in searching. Her beverage would have to do until he re-emerged.

A sharp beep brought Tosh back to her monitors, expecting to see a new error or break in the code however that was still running smoothly and it was her other screen that was alerting her to something. She frowned, it wasn’t a Rift alert, so she clicked her mouse and a map was brought, a large red dot travelling over in Cardiff’s direction at a fast speed. Tosh picked up her earpiece, hoping Ianto had his own one.

“Jack?”

_ “Toshiko! How’s it going”  _ Despite his cheerful; greeting, there was a strain to Jack’s voice, and she could hear his laboured breathing. Clearly the weevil was putting up a fight.

“We have something heading Wales’ way, there’s been no Rift Alert though so it’s not from there. Could it be an alien ship?”

_ “Could be- Jesus, Owen! Any way you can try to find out what it is?” _

“I can try.” Tosh set about working, typing on her keyboard and setting their scanners to go, acting on a hunch and broadening the scanner to the rest of Wales and then Britain.

_ “Good, won’t be long. Ah!” _

“You alright?” Tosh asked and Jack let out a deep breath.

“Just a scratch, don’t tell Ianto.” That meant it was more than a scratch and his coat was most likely to be torn.

“Your secret is safe with me.” She smiled, though it was quickly lost as her monitor showed her ten more signals, exactly the same yet heading for other parts of Britain.

“Jack, there’s something else”

_ “What is it- shit- Tosh?” _

“Originally, I thought it to be one thing but now there’s eleven.”

_ “Eleven? What are they?” _

“They’re…” Tosh gasped as she read the results, jerking back suddenly when her elbow knocked her mug over. She watched it topple over in almost slow motion, spilling coffee all over her desk. “Crap-” She cursed and reached for a box of tissues she had close, trying to mop up the mess that would have Ianto scowling and looking disappointed. Her mind ran at a million miles per hour, trying to process what she’d just read, feeling overwhelmed all of a sudden.

_ “Tosh? Tosh what’s wrong?”  _ Owen’s worried voice came through and Tosh realised she’d forgotten he was with their boss too. Only Ianto and Gwen were out of the loop

“Split my coffee but-” Tosh trailed off.

_ “But?”  _ Jack repeated.

“They’re not spaceships.”

_ “Tosh, you’re killing me here.” _

“They’re missiles.” The line went silent and Tosh froze, unsure of what to do now.

_ “How far away?”  _ Jack’s voice eventually returned, tone serious.

“Not enough to stop them.” Tosh admitted, watching as one of the dots went out in Scotland, either stopped or it found its target, then another one in Northern Ireland, and a third in England. 

_ “Where’s this one heading?”  _ Blinking, Tosh broke from her momentary paralysis, finding the route of the one destined for Wales

“Cardiff”

_ “Where in Cardiff.”  _ Owen asked but Tosh was already finding out, fingers hovering over the keys and heart pounding.  _ “Tosh?!” _

“Oh god…”

_ “Get out of there.”  _ Jack ordered, not needing any confirmation that the Hub, or at least the Bay, was the Target and Tosh didn’t waste any time in bringing up the security sequence, setting the computer system into lock down just in case someone got their hands on their equipment that they didn’t want to. Tosh just clicked enter after typing in the password before she remembered she wasn’t alone.

“Ianto!” The man’s smooth Welsh voice filtered through the line not long after.

_ “Yes Tosh?” _

“You need to get out of the Hub,  _ now! _ ” She cried, getting up from her seat and grabbing her coat and bag out of habit. There was so much she wanted to save but there was absolute no chance of doing that and very little time.

_ “What? Why?" _

“Missile heading this way, don’t know why, and we can’t stop it.” Tosh explained.

_ “Is Jack back yet?”  _ Ianto asked.

“No, he knows though. I’ve locked down the computers.”

_ “Alright, I’ll be there soon.” _

“Alright.” Tosh moved through the cog door which had taken far too long to open and raced to the lift. The doors shut in front of her, and she breathed heavily, hearing the blood pumping through her ears and her heart beating widely. “Ianto?”

_ “Yes?” _

“Be careful.” She told him, chewing on her lip as the lift seemed to move extra slowly.

_ “I will.”  _ The doors slid open and Tosh took off again, her bag slapping against her leg as she ran. She held it flat, her laptop pressed inside, and the secret door swung open in front of her, taking Tosh to the Tourist Office.

_ “Tosh?”  _ Jack’s voice came through, almost making her jump.

“Jack.”

_ “We’re on our way back, are you out?” _

“I’m almost there, Ianto’s heading out too.” Tosh told him, yanking open the exit.

_ “Good. We'll see you soon.”  _ The cold, night air hit her as she sped out, racing along the pier, needing to get as far away as she could, praying Ianto had managed to do the same as her. The missile was coming from the West, so heading East was the best option for now. Tosh could see the small loud of her breath as she breathed out, chest heaving and lungs burning but there was no time to stop, no idea how long or how far she had to go other than to go. Then suddenly there was a bright light behind her, she didn’t dare look and not a minute later, it was replaced by a deafening explosion, so loud Tosh almost wondered if she didn’t actually hear it and more felt it as it rocked her off her feet and sent her tumbling.

The ground was rough underneath her as she scraped her exposed arms and face against it, the impact abrupt and left her stunned. Wind whipped around her, and she shifted, hair getting in her way while the night was now lit up. She lay there for god knows how long, hurting and just trying to collect her breathing until arms grasped her, jolting Tosh from her dazed state. She turned her head, Jack peering down at her with wide, searching eyes, his hand gripping her tightly but onto enough to her.

“-osh?!” He spoke, though everything was muffled behind a persistent ringing, his lips moved but Tosh couldn’t decipher them, she was never one for lip-reading. She leant her head against his shoulder, tired.

“-osh?” Owen came into view, his cold hand touching her face, he looked just as worried as Jack did. “Can…-ear me?”

“Owen…” She breathed out though it sounded weird, unable to properly hear her voice.”

“-right Tosh.” He mustered up a smile and Tosh turned away from the both, looking back at where the Hub was and seeing the blazing fire that resided there now. Deep grey smoke blew upwards as rubbled lay spread about smouldering. It was a mess, and she could have been in that if she’d discovered the missiles just a second or so later. Tosh hadn’t realised she’d been crying until Jack’s smooth thumb wiped across her cheek.

“Let’s get you back to the car.” He said as her hearing instantaneously snapped back, everything surprisingly quiet as the fire burned. Tosh nodded, adjusting her bag on her shoulder and letting them guide her away, Owen’s ever concerned gaze gliding over her.

~~~

Ianto told himself not to panic after promising Tosh he’d be alright, the files he had been sorting were now strewn across his desk after dropping them in a bid to check what Tosh was telling him. She wasn’t wrong, there was something heading this way. So, with that, he began to move back up through the Archives, a pang of guilt hitting him as he thought of the weevils locked down in the Vaults and all the artefacts and knowledge they had collected over the years. There was a chance they’d survive though, depending on how deep the explosion would go but there would be the ordeal of digging them out too. He skidded around a corner as the entrance came into view, heading right for it and taking the stairs up to the higher levels of the Hub. By the time he reached the main floor, his thighs were burning and his lungs seizing up, sweat rolling down his face as warning lights flashed around the Hub. The cage door was open and Ianto practically slammed into the cog wheel as it gradually opened it, impatient and tapping his foot on the ground. It then let out a loud screech and Ianto watched it shudder to a halt, his stomach dropping. There was no way he was fitting through that, so Ianto shifted, trying his best to push it at least a little but even with his metal arm, it was too heavy and the thing wasn’t moving.

“Fuck.” Ianto stepped away, trying to think. The lift was a no-go, Jack’s wrist strap was the only thing that could control that which was a major design flaw. He could try to get down to the lower levels of the Archives, it might be at least somewhat safe down there. Unsure of how much time he had, Ianto didn’t dwindle, sprinting over the walkway only he didn’t get as far as he liked as an eruption sounded and everything went a hot white pain, barely able to let out a scream before it was replaced with nothingness

~~~

The weather reflected the mood perfectly, like something you’d read out of a novel. A dark, not really stormy but definitely rainy night. The right pathetic fallacy for a night of mourning, no cars driving past, everything silent like London was taking a moment to honour the fallen even if it didn’t know just how important those people were. Eggsy stood under his umbrella, still wearing the suit he had donned to the dinner he had had with Tilde’s parents. At least that had gone mostly well, although watching your mate almost blow himself up then actually get blown up wasn’t something Eggsy would class as “going well”. He glanced around, the whole tailor shop gone, blown apart into rubble, charred and a hole seeing right into the street behind it. No doubt Arthur had been in there, his body recovered if there was anything to find, and now police tape roped off the crime scene. It was a big mess, the Kingsman headquarters were most likely the same, just like his own place was. He’d gone to see that first, blown to pieces, all memorabilia, possessions, everything gone. Anything Eggsy had to remember Harry was destroyed and one of his best friends and his dog were dead. The only good thing, the one thing Eggsy thanked god for, was that his mother had moved out by then with little Daisy otherwise-

The lone Kingsman brought himself from his thoughts before they could spiral, breathing out as he spotted a figure. He immediately tensed, wondering if it was Charlie back for another round, pulling his gun out and aiming it. They walked closer, unfazed but Eggsy held his arm steady, Merlin walking into the moonlight. Despite him being a friend, Eggsy didn’t relax, stalking closer.

“Someone decides to wipe out every Kingsman property.” He climbed over the debris, careful of the slick, rain-wet bricks and sodden, frail wood. “Every agent, and somehow... conveniently, you weren't at home.”

“I could say the same thing about you.” Merlin accused, bag in his hand.

“What, you think I'd kill Roxy? And my mate, Brandon, and my fucking dog?” Eggsy bristled, grief building because as he spoke it, it all became real. His voice threatened to crack, emotions getting the better of him.

“No.” Merlin answered truthfully. “You think I would? This thing hacked us.” He reached into the bag, pulling out the prosthetic Charlie had been wearing the evening he cornered Eggsy, and they fought in the taxi. It had been ripped from Charlie as the man had been sent through the front window and Eggsy hadn’t thought anything of it as he sped off and subsequently had to swim through the sewers to get home. That is something Eggsy vowed never to do again, the stench was almost impossible to get rid of. “Clearly, this arm can be remotely controlled. I'm only alive because my address wasn't on the database with the agents. Whoever Charlie's working with doesn't think that mere staff are missile-worthy.”

“This ain't funny.” Eggsy snapped, gun lowering. “Roxy is dead! Everyone's dead! Gone! Do you even care?”

“Pull yourself together. Remember your training.” Merlin ordered, keeping himself level-headed in a way Eggsy always struggled to. “There's no time for emotion in this scenario.” Eggsy nodded slowly, collecting himself as he understood exactly what the man meant. “Now, as all surviving agents are present, we follow the doomsday protocol. When that's done, and only then, you may shed a tear in private.”

“Okay.” Eggsy said, thunder starting to rumble in the background. The night was turning out to be dark and stormy now. “What's the doomsday protocol?”

“We go shopping.”

The two waited until it was the morning to start with the doomsday protocol, heading to Merlin’s address seeing as he had the only house still standing. It was a solemn night, neither man speaking and neither getting all that much sleep either, Eggsy anxiously awaiting the sun rise. His mind did wander to Ianto briefly, the man was living in Cardiff now, Torchwood One gone and apparently working for a different branch. He had no idea if his address was on the database or if his name was mentioned at all but Eggsy didn’t feel like bringing that up that night, there was already too much grief. The next morning was much brighter, sunny and the complete opposite of how Eggsy felt. They moved through an alleyway before coming to a winery.

“We're from Kingsman.” Merlin announced to the man working in the place as they walked inside. It was fancy, wine bottles on display, probably more expensive than his life was worth. “We'd like to buy some wine. And use tasting room number three, please.” They were led to a room, the door shutting behind them as the staff member let them be. It was large, a really long table in the middle with chairs either side. “Not one of my predecessors has ever been in this situation before. Thank God.” They moved along the sides of the table, Eggsy looking around for something of use, maybe the Kingsman emblem or something related to it.

“A-ha.” Eggsy stopped and turned, Merlin looking at something on the wall. He then held up a medal, similar to the one Eggsy had been given years ago after his father had been killed in action. “Remember this?”

“Yeah, how could I forget?” he asked rhetorically, watching as Merlin fitted it into a crest carved into the stone wall. It attached almost magnetically and a bolt was heard behind it before it sunk back in and split apart, revealing a large, old safe inside.

“Whatever's in that safe is the answer to all our problems.” Merlin pointed, ducking down to put in the code. Eggsy watched as he opened the door, looking around. “Huh.” he waited for his friend to turn around, no idea what it could be but hoping it would at least help them or show them in the right direction. When Merlin did spin around, Eggsy’s eyes flew right to the item in his hands. It was a bottle of whiskey.

“Is that it?” He asked, severely disappointed and furthermore confused. Eggsy had been expecting a weapon or a key or maybe even a very detailed report of what they should do next, not a bottle of alcohol that had been sitting in there for god knows how long.

“I suppose that must be upper-class humour. I don't get it.”

“Me neither. What the fuck are we supposed to do now?” Merlin looked down at the glass in his hands before looking back at Eggsy.

“I think we should drink a toast to our fallen comrades.” Eggsy nodded, getting them two glasses as Merlin took the cap off the bottle. He filled the glasses to just two fingers full, and they each picked up their own. This reminded him of the toast he’s done to Harry with the old Arthur and Ianto, except this time there was no fast acting poison mixed in.

“To Roxy.” Eggsy toasted.

“Roxy” They clinked their glasses together before downing the amber liquid in one. It was strong, having been waiting years to be opened and drunk, fermenting and Eggsy couldn’t deny he liked it. One of the best doomsday protocols he’d come across so far. Another lot was poured out. They had a lot of people to toast.

“To Arthur.”

“Arthur.” 

“Should we do one for JB?” Eggsy queried.

“I think we should.” Merlin agreed, taking a seat and Eggsy followed, unbuttoning his blazer and setting himself down. It didn’t take long for the bottle to go down, making toasts left right and centre.

“Merlin?” Eggsy started, words slurring just a little as his tongue was heavy with liquor. The man looked at him. “Didn’t wanna asked earlier but… is- is Ianto-?” Eggsy didn’t even get to finish, though he wasn’t sure he could have done anyway, as Merlin’s eyes went wide and to Eggsy’s surprise he started to cry.

“He’s gone!” Eggsy felt everything crash all over again, the same force coming back for another hit after already having got him for Brandon, Roxy, and everyone else.“M-My son is gone, Harry would have been so- he wouldn’t have let that happen, he would have known-” Eggsy stood from his seat, rounding the table and setting himself down beside his friend, clasping his shoulder and squeezing it comfortingly.

“It’ll be alright mate...we’ll- we’ll” Eggsy couldn’t continue, not even sure what they could do other than mourn their friends. He always saw Ianto as a big bother and now he was gone too, he’d survived Canary Wharf to be defeated by a missile nobody knew was coming.

“Oh god, I miss them both.” Eggsy nodded, grabbing the whiskey bottle and pouring them some more. He slid Merlin’s glass over to him.

“To Ianto.” Eggsy held up his glass.

“I-Ianto.” They drank the whiskey and Eggsy sighed. Minutes passed and Eggsy shed his blazer, undid his bow tie, and opened up his collar. It was hot in the cellar and the emotions were making him feel all stuffy and uncomfortable. Merlin continued to cry next to him after removing his own coat and loosening his tie, obviously not bothered about sticking to his own words from earlier and Eggsy didn’t really blame him. “I should have seen it coming. Charlie, the taxi. It's all my fault.”

“Nah, that's bullshit, ‘s bullshit Merlin.” Eggsy shook his head, if anything it was partly his own fault for forgetting about the limb and just leaving it there. “It ain't- ain't all your fault. You're the best, bruv. Honestly, without you I’d’ve... I'd’ve lost it a long time ago.” he reached out, hand falling back onto Merlin’s shoulder and the man nodded slightly, muttering something before breathing in and grabbing the whiskey bottle again.

“I think we should drink to Scotland.” Merlin declared but Eggsy reached out.

“I think we've probably had enough, to be honest.” He told merlin, taking the bottle away

“You're probably right.“ Looking at the bottle, around two centimetres of the liquid left, Eggsy read the writing on the back of the label, eyes narrowing as his drunken mind caught up.

_ “Distilled in Kentucky” _ It read, which was nothing untoward however the K in “Kentucky” was the Kingsman logo, or at least, that’s what Eggsy’s mind told him. His eyebrows went up in surprise, realising that the doomsday protocol wasn’t just to get yourself drunken beyond caring and cry your eyes out but it was in fact a hint to what their next move was.

“Merlin.“ He called for the man’s attention.

“Aye?”

“I think we're going to Kentucky.” Eggsy told him, still looking at the bottle.

“Fried Chicken?” Merlin asked, voice still sounding dejected and on the verge of breaking again, holding his glasses up where he was wiping them clean. “I love fried chicken.”

“Nah, proper Kentucky. Look.” He held the bottle out, placing it on the table for Merlin to look.

“You know what else I love? Country and western music.” Eggsy watched him in confusion, knowing he was drunk and upset but Merlin liking country music was not something he imagined, thinking him more of a classical type. What was even weirder was when the man started singing, not something he ever expected to see. “Country roads...take me home...to the place I belong…” Merlin trailed off as he finally took in what Eggsy had been pointing at, leaning in closer as Eggsy shook his head. They were going to Kentucky, as soon as they sober, at least.

~~~

Hours had passed since the Hub went up in flames, Jack sitting in the driver’s seat of the SUV as he watched the local authorities and first responders deal with the blazing fire and the mess from the explosion. It had also been hours since they’d last heard from Ianto, not a single sight of him and there was nothing but static on the communication system and the phone went straight to voicemail. There were valid reasons for that but Jack’s mind couldn’t help but assume the worst. In the back Owen was still watching over Tosh, having finished attending to her minor cuts and scrapes and given her some water before she brought out her laptop and got straight into work. It was her way of coping with the recent events and the overload of worry about Ianto, so Jack wasn’t one to stop her.

“If I’d have found the missile before-” Tosh started down the path of guilt and Jack shook his head, looking at her in the rearview mirror.

“Don’t, Tosh. There was no way we could have known before the scanners did.” She let out a sigh and Jack turned back to watching the scene in front.

“What about the other spots?” Owen asked. “Any significance to them?”

“Not really, three in Scotland, one in Northern Island, and the rest in England. As far as I can tell, the’ve nothing to do with Torchwood. I couldn’t get the exact locations yet but I’m sure once the news starts covering them, we will.”

“Could always phone up Archie.” Jack suggested, fingers tapping on the steering wheel.

“Could do but there weren’t any near Glasgow.” Jack nodded slowly, staring as blue lights mixed with the orange and yellow of the fire which was gradually being doused, coopers and firefighters rushing around, tape being set up to ward off any nighttime onlookers that might want to venture out into the cold to see what had happened. No press yet but that wouldn’t last long.

“When you can, Tosh, could you sort out a cover story for this?” Jack asked, catching her nodding in the mirror. “We’ll head over as soon as the others arrive, they’ll be looking for survivors, so we’ll just take their equipment.”

The fire was out and the rescue teams set up by the time Gwen made a show, the woman rushing out from her car with her jacket hardly on and a panicked look. Jack stepped out of the car to greet her.

“Jack! What the hell happened?” She queried when within hearing distance, slightly out of breath from her jog.

“Missile, Tosh picked it up long after you had gone home.”

“Is she okay?” Gwen looked past him and towards the car. Jack nodded.

“She’s alright, nothing that won't heal.”

“And everyone else?” Gwen looked up at him and Jack took hold of her arms.

“I was out on a weevil hunt with Owen, John had left by the time. Ianto, he-”

“Oh god no.” She paled, hand coming up to cover her mouth. Jack swallowed down the lump in his throat.

“We don’t know yet, he was making his way, but he’s not answering.” Gwen nodded slowly and Owen joined them.

“What’s the plan?”

“We’re going to head in there. Gwen I need you to sort out Cardiff’s finest for us.” Jack started to order out, marching towards the crime scene with the other two in town. He got a nod from Gwen, letting her veer off towards the awaiting police officers. Jack turned his focus to Owen. “Anything else we find can wait, our main focus is finding Ianto, got it?”

“Of course.” Jack didn’t fail to notice the medical bag in Owen’s hand, the one he knew held a body bag inside it. The police let them through without issue, Jack’s face set in an expression which immediately told anyone that he wasn’t in the mood for negotiation. 

“Has a body been found?” Owen asked an officer standing guard.

“No, sir. All they’ve done is secure the area and remove what rubble they could.”

“Okay…” Jack stepped over and moved past large and small, charred bits of stone and pavement, bricks, tubes, and framing work was being piled out of the way to gain access to the lower parts. Jack stood near the edge of the drop.

“Sir?” Came a voice and Jack turned to see a small woman, dressed in her firefighter’s outfit. “If you’re thinking of heading down into the crater, you can’t do it alone.”

“Like hell I can’t!” Jack argued, not going to be told what to do by someone who wouldn’t have a clue about what half the things they could find down there were.

“I’m not saying you’re not allowed down there.” She explained, hands held up and voice staying level unlike Jack’s own. “We all know Torchwood and what you’re like, but you’re to be accompanied by me and my partner. Yes?”

“Fine, but do not touch anything you don’t know.” Jack commanded and the woman nodded, handing them harnesses, gloves, and safety hats not that Jack cared for his own safety right now when Ianto’s was possibly in peril. The lady introduced herself and her partner to them but Jack didn’t bother to listen, heading down into the crater as quick as he could. Dust filled the air though it was quickly blown away by the Welsh wind.

“Our main focus is finding Ianto, got it.” Owen nodded and Jack sighed deeply, not one to believe in false hopes but just wishing that this time they wouldn’t be so false. They were quiet as they worked, Jack not too worried about finding out what had done this so far, that could for now, he shifted bits of brick or metal, listening out as well but hearing nothing but Owen’s own movements.

“Jack!” Owen called, and he spun around to see the man holding something in his hand. He walked over with quick strides, and he realised it was Ianto’s prosthetic, dented and scuffed in places but not all too damaged; however, it was no longer attached to the man and Jack felt his stomach drop. “He must be around here.”

“Keep digging, he could be hurt.” They got back to digging, Jack lifting heavy slabs of concrete, pushing them off to the side with a grunt. It was laborious work and his muscles began to ache but Jack wasn’t going to give up, breathing hard and sweating even harder, focused completely on moving each and every piece of rubble and digging Ianto out. He couldn’t lose him yet, Ianto didn’t deserve to die like this, to be alone, under all this debris. Dust got into his nose and eyes, making Jack blink as they stung and set about watering, unable to see through the onslaught of tears that he couldn’t entirely blame on the dust. His heart sped up, beeping loud in his ears as everything else around him was tuned out. Jack reached out for the next piece of rubble, grabbing it and giving it a tug, however, he went motionless as it gave resistance when tugged. It wasn’t debris at all, it was a shoe. Specifically Ianto’s shoe, Jack would recognise those fancy Oxfords anywhere, and they were still attached to a foot.

“Owen! Here!” He called and the rest of the group joined him.

“Alright, we have a body, we’re going to get more hands down here.” One of the firefighters said but Jack couldn’t focus on them, just looking at all the weight that was bearing down on Ianto and how if he was still alive, they needed to move fast.

“Jack.” Owen stood need to him, dust clinging to his bloodless skin. “There’s no way-”

“I know.” Jack snapped, interrupting him and then sighing, regretting it. “Sorry… I just- we’re not leaving him.”

“Never said we were.”

Some time later and after a lot of work even with the extra people, enough of the rubble was removed so that they could get Ianto out. Jack waited with bated breath as they brought a medic down, Owen unable to properly check Ianto over without feelings any more. Ianto’s suit was a mess, covered in concrete dust, ripped in places, crumpled and creased. Everything Ianto would have hated. The medic, dressed in luminescent green and yellow, stood up from his crouch, talking to his partner with a shake of his head. He then locked eyes with Jack and the Captain knew.

~~~

The two had flown all the way to Kentucky, Eggsy having slept the whole light although it wasn’t as comfortable or as peaceful as the Kingsman issue planes were, but they were destroyed or buried under heaps of dirt and concrete in the crater that was the Kingsman manor. Commercial flight it was but at least they had been in business class part of the plane. Merlin was still hungover after they had landed but Eggsy knew the best cure for that before they then headed to the Statesman Distillery. It was a large plot of land, old and new buildings, it was more than just a distillery. They’d joined a tour which took them around the place, the day too bright, hot as well, especially in his suit. Surprisingly, the tour wasn’t the worst as Eggsy had never been to a distillery before, soaking in the information while also keeping a lookout for anything suspicious.

“Oh! Here's where we leave the casks to age. Unfortunately, we can't go in, as it's a temperature-controlled environment.” The woman pointed to a large, dark-wood barn and Eggsy and Merlin broke off from the group. “So let's move on to our world-class stud farm... and meet three of our Kentucky Derby winners.” The tour guide chattered on, disappearing as Eggsy pressed a part of the large door that had been cut into a circle. The planks move away, revealing a high tech security system.

“Biometric security scanner just to protect a few old barrels of whiskey? Pull the other one, love.” Eggsy mumbled as he used his watch to hack the thing, sending it to Merlin’s upgraded clipboard and letting him do the work.

“Got it.” Merlin said and the door slid open. The two of them moved in, it shutting behind them with a beep and Eggsy held his wrist out, scanning the place.

“Are you getting anything?” He asked Merlin.

“Not yet.”

“Fucking hell.” Eggsy uttered in slight amazement, there were hundreds upon hundreds of barrels in the barn, stored and just waiting to be drunk. Eggsy wouldn’t mind getting his hands on a few more bottles of that whiskey himself.

“It's a shame it's not scotch.” They moved towards the larger barrels at then end and Merlin stopped. “Hang on. According to this, there's a huge underground structure right beneath us. And if my calculations are correct.” He picked up an axe which had been hung on the wall, pointing towards the barrel with  _ “Statesman 1963” _ printed on it. Eggsy would be that tasted divine. “This is the way in.” He swung the axe, creating a small hole in the barrel but all that spilled out was liquor.

“Fucking hell, Merlin.” Eggsy cursed as his friend covered the hole with his hand.

“Shit.”

“You know, my mama.” A sudden voice spoke behind him and Eggsy spun around, feeling like a kid caught cheating on a test by looking at the person next to them’s sheet. He crossed his arms, hoping to look like they hadn’t just whacked Statesman property with an axe, spilling their valuable alcohol. The man was wearing a cowboy hat and had an american accent and began walking towards them. “She always told me, us southerners get our good manners from the British. I was thinkin', ain't that a pity. Y'all didn't keep nothing for yourselves.” As he got into the light, it became apparent he was armed, a large gun over his shoulder. His belt buckle was a liquor flask, the Statesman name engraved into it.

“Y'all ain't never heard of knocking before you enter?” He asked, chewing before spitting to the side. It was disgusting but completely stereotypical of southern cowboys.

“Well, actually we had an invitation. Didn't we?” Eggsy told him

“Yeah.” Merlin agreed, still holding the liquor in the barrel.

“Oh, did you now?”

“Yeah, yeah. It came in the shape of a bottle. We're from the Kingsman tailor shop in London. Maybe you've heard of us?”

“Oh, the Kingsman.” Eggsy immediately felt like they were being mocked. He positively had no idea who they were as Eggsy and Merlin hadn't heard of the Statesmen.

“Yeah.” Merlin nodded.

“Huh. That's where y'all got them fine suits and them fancy spectacles y'all got on?”

“Exactly.”

“That's right.” Eggsy answered too, just wanting this to be over, so they could get to avenging Roxy, Ianto, and Brendon.

“Y'all look damn sharp.” He complimented. “Let me see if I got it right, here. You want me to believe that it's normal for a tailor to hack through an advanced biometric security system with nothing but a little bitty old watch on?” Eggsy shifted his jaw slightly, knowing there wasn’t really any explanation to that. Merlin shared a look. The cowboy then took his gun from his shoulder, twisting it around and cocking it. “I can promise you that dog don't hunt. So why don't you go on and get down on your knees and tell me who you really work for.”

Eggsy dropped his arms, standing up straight as Merlin removed his hand from the barrel, liquor shooting out. It wasn’t like they could kneel and hold it back, and there was no arguing with a man with a gun. Only, the man spat and whatever he had been chewing went flying, hitting the barrel like some sort of goo and plugging up the hole. It was rank and Eggsy grimaced. “That's 1963 Statesman Reserve. You just made it personal.”

The American advanced on them and the two Kingsmen shared a nod, rushing forward. Eggsy had his fist drawn back, going in for a punch however the man doged, hitting him in the back with the butt of his shotgun. He fell, spine protesting as he did, turning in time to see Merlin headbutt the barrel and get knocked out immediately. Pulling out his gun, Eggsy moved to shoot but the man was quick, grabbing his arm with his shotgun and pulling it back. He let out a pained noise and his gun was knocked from his hand and it skittered across the wooden floorboards. After getting hit with the gun twice more, Eggsy admitted to himself they were in over their heads, being pushed against the barrel, unable to move as the man set his watch to stun. He was then pulled away, the man not letting go of his wrist and a sharp prick hit his neck. He’d been darted by his own watch.

“Who the fuck are you?” Eggsy slurred, hand flying to his neck before he lost consciousness.

He awoke some time later, zip tied to a chair and sitting beside an already awake and annoyed Merlin. They were in some room, definitely not in the barn from before and probably in the underground base they’d nearly discovered. The man from before was waiting off to the side, shaking his head.

“Finally awake then, you’re friend’s told me your story.” He said, clearing his throat and tipping his hat back. Eggsy glared at the American as he moved to stand before them. “A bottle in a secret wall. You really expect me to take that seriously? See, I think your story's horse shit. Y'all just trying to cover for a failed rescue mission. You here for the lepidopterist, ain't you?” Eggsy blanked for a moment, turning to look at Merlin as if he might have had some sort of clue. If Eggsy was really being honest, he had no idea what a lepidopterist was.

“Okay, so your mystery bottle, huh? Look anything like that, right there?” He picked up an identical looking whiskey bottle, full of the amber liquid.

“Yes. Same brand, much older.” Eggsy told him. His bonds were tight, digging in through his suit, and he really wanted to get out of them  _ right _ now.

“All right. Let's see here.” He took off the bottle cap, taking a sniff of the liquor. “You know why the measurement of alcohol content's called 'proof'?” He asked, circling around them and pouring it over their laps.

“Oh, fuck off!” Eggsy growled, he liked this suit very much.

“Oh, for Pete's sake.“ Merlin groaned and Eggsy didn’t let up his glare, he’d attacked them and now he’d ruined their suits. 

See, comes from back in the old days, when pirates wanted to test the strength of their rum. They used to pour a little bit out on gunpowder.” The American took a swig of the liquid, breathing out and looking at Eggsy. “That'll make you wanna slap your mama right there, boy. And if the gunpowder, if it burnt when they set it alight, they considered it proof that their rum was good and strong.” He splashed more over them and Eggsy tightened his fists, the ties straining against him. Eggsy wasn’t in the mood of a history lesson, or for this man’s stupid theory.

“But see, I ain't got no gunpowder on me, do I? But I'm pretty sure you boys'll make just as impressive of a sound when I set your balls on fire.” The cowboy threatened, lighting his lighter but all Merlin and Eggsy did was laugh.

“Or you could just tell me who the fuck y'all really are and how the hell y'all found us.

“Look, for the last time, we have nothing to protect but our honour.” Merlin told the man, Eggsy nodding alongside him. “So you can take your cheap horse piss that you call whiskey which, by the way, is spelled without an ‘e’ and is nothing compared to a single malt scotch and you can go fuck yourself.” With that, Eggsy laughed sarcastically, hoping to annoy the man to no end.

“What about you?” He asked, getting closer.

“Me? Yeah. No, I love a Jack and Coke, bruv.” Eggsy nodded slightly. “But I do agree with the part where you go fuck yourself.” Half expecting to be set alight, Eggsy was caught off by the man flicking the lighter shut, though he wasn’t ungrateful for that.

“All right. Y'all ain't got nothing to protect other than your honour. Let's see what happens when we change things up.” he clicked a button then the screen behind them went from white to being a mirror, clearly a one way mirror as the man behind it didn’t react to their sudden appearance. Although Eggsy did, his stomach dropped and a deep, sudden shock hit him. The man standing on the other side of the glass, shaving his face and wearing an eyepatch, inside a padded, asylum style but less horrific, room was Harry. Harry, who for the last three years, Eggsy had thought was dead.

“Fuck me.” Eggsy muttered just as Merlin whispered Harry’s name in disbelief. He realised this would have hit Merlin  _ much _ harder than himself.

“Y'all got three seconds to tell me the truth.” The American decided, pulling out a pistol and aiming it at the glass. 

“Wait. No. No!” Merlin protested.

“Harry!” Eggsy yelled.

“He can't hear you.” The cowboy informed them. “But I can, so talk.”

“No!” Merlin cried.

“Get down, Harry!” Eggsy continued to shout, ignoring the American’s logic and giving into his full panic. He’d been unable to stop Harry’s first death but Eggsy wasn’t going to sit back and let it happen again, tied up or not.

“No, Harry!”

“That's two.” The man counted as the two of them continued to call Harry’s name, getting more and more frantic as Harry continued to calmly shave his face. The ties were really taxing now, Eggsy leaning further out of his seat as his heart raced with pure horror.

“Three.“

“Stop!” Ordered a voice and everything halted. Eggsy and Merlin fell quiet and the gun was lowered. Eggsy turned, a woman dressed in a suit threw an umbrella at the cowboy. She then moved over to them, using white towels to dry up any of the whiskey still lingering on them. It wouldn’t remove the smell or the stains though. “Their story checked out. I opened our doomsday scenario locker and that umbrella was in it. Kingsman. It's got our logo on it. I'm really sorry.” She addressed the last bit to them and the cowboy started to laugh.

“My apologies, boys. I hope there ain't no hard feelings. I was just doin' my job. Welcome to the Statesman, independent intelligence agency. Just like y'all, I reckon.” He guessed, swinging the umbrella around. “But our founders went into the booze business. Thank the sweet Lord above. This is Ginger Ale. She's our strategy executive.”

“Hello.” The woman greeted.

“I'm Agent Tequila.” Eggsy wasn’t sure about him, it was hard to like a man who beat you down and threatened to set you on fire and then held a gun at your friend who was finishing up behind the glad.

“This is the part where you untie us.” Eggsy said, impatient and needing to see Harry after so long.

“Thank you.” Merlin used his manners while Eggsy just got straight up and headed out the room and into the next.

“Harry.” Eggsy breathed, elated knowing his friend, his mentor, his father figure, was  _ alive. _

“Hello.” Came a reply.

“Hello, mate-” Eggsy moved to pull him into a hug, however, Harry moved away, blocking him with his arms as if he didn’t know who he was.

“Harry.” Merlin extended his hand, though Eggsy was sure if they were in private it would have been a much more dramatic reunion.

“How do you do? Have we met before?” Harry asked, shaking Merlin’s hand.

“Harry, it's okay. It's fine. They know that we know you.” Eggsy reassured.

“I think there must be some mistake.”

“It's been such a long time, Harry. I need to get my brogues resoled.” Merlin notified him.

“Yeah, and my Oxfords are done in as well.” Eggsy joined in, knowing they’d been trained to never reveal who they were, even if their fellow agents said it was alright until certain code words or sentences were spoken.

“Why are you telling me about your shoes?” Harry questioned again and it donned on Eggsy that he legitimately didn’t know who they were, it wasn’t some act, or some cover show. Harry had no idea who he or Merlin were. “I'm a lepidopterist.”

“You're a what?”

“I study butterflies.” He smiled slightly, pointing around the room and Eggsy took in the many drawings and scribbled of butterflies and their wingspan or patterns. It was like a mad man's scrawls yet neat and ordered and not entirely mad at all.

“Well, you wanted to be before you joined the army, but... Harry, look at me.” Eggsy watched as Merlin held his finger up, doing some sort of eye tracking thing with Harry while Eggsy’s thoughts were reeling. Harry was alive, but he wasn’t Harry, or at least, he wasn’t  _ their _ Harry. A butterfly studier rather than a top-notch, undercover spy who could go five on one and come out with barely a bruise. “It's good to see you. We'll be back soon.” Merlin led him out of the room and Eggsy stormed into the one where the Americans were still sitting.

“What the fuck have you done to him?” He demanded, reading to harm who had ever broken his Harry.

“Nothing. Only tried to help him.” The woman - Ginger Ale - informed him. “He's got retrograde amnesia. Now, we knew from his eyeglasses that he was intelligence. We just didn't know whose.”

“How did he get here?” Merlin queried.

“Our scans picked up a crazy spike of extreme low frequency waves at a Church only 11 miles from here.” Eggsy shared a look with Merlin, knowing they meant the South Glade Mission Church, where the massacre had happened thanks to Valentine’s test run of his free SIM cards. “As soon as we arrived, he was there, shot through the eye, so I used our alpha gel on him. We developed our alpha gel technology for our own agents, in the event of a headshot. The gel protects the brain.”

“Then, in the lab, we use nanites, micro-bots, to repair tissue damage. There are side effects. Partial amnesia, regression to the younger self. With no idea who he was, there was nothing we could do. But now you guys are here... there's a good chance we can bring him back.” She promised and Eggsy turned to look at Harry through the glass, the man reading a book before looking around at the drawings on the walls. Eggsy prayed to everything that they could bring him back.

“Who’re you then?” Tequila asked and Eggsy shot his cuffs.

“Agent Galahad. And that’s Merlin, our Tech Expert.” 

~~~

“Jack?” Owen’s voice echoed around the cold morgue room, the walls dull but clean, the lights low with no natural light as it was built underground rather than on the upper floors. Not too dissimilar to their Torchwood morgue except this one was less for storing bodies permanently and more for cutting them open and seeing just what led to a person’s death before making them presentable for their families to see. Owen was conducting this one, dressed in hospital issued scrubs with rubber gloves and a mask. Jack lifted his head up from where he had been staring down at Ianto’s effects. The engraved stopwatch he’d give Ianto not long after Serenity had its glass cracked and the back kept popping off, his pocket square was crumpled up though Jack neatly folded it up knowing the Welshman wouldn’t want it to get creased, a broken pen most likely crushed by the cave in of concrete, his wallet which held an assortment of pennies and cash and cards, and a golden signet ring which Ianto had always worn since he’d joined. There was his prosthetic of course and his clothes too.

“What, Owen?” Jack asked, tone melancholy and quiet. He’d spent a good ten minutes or so trying not to cry before this, John wasn’t speaking to them and had run off at the first sight of Ianto. Tosh and Gwen were doing their own thing though Jack knew the former to be guilting herself to high hell over everything.

“Ianto was dead when he got brought in, right?”

~~~

After introductions, they split off, Tequila leading Eggsy out of the underground base while Merlin stayed behind with Ginger Ale to try to work on Harry’s memories. They took a lift, which was one of the barrels that merlin and axed into prior - though this one wasn’t full of ale - before Eggsy was led through the grounds again to the large but old structure in the middle. Inside, it didn’t seem like much, just a tourist attraction until Tequila led them to a secret door and everything transformed. It went from rusty, western style decor and build to something similar to the old Kingsman base. Posh and expensive, undeniably far too high tech to be just a distillery company. There was another life and Tequila walked out of it, along a corridor to a grand double door at the end of it. Walking through, Eggsy shut the door behind him at Tequila’s request.

The room was large, everything wood with old and new bottles or decanters of alcohol littering shelves that lined some of the walls. It seemed a bit excessive but Eggsy couldn’t judge a man for being proud of his company’s work. On the far wall there were paining of the founders or prior statement no doubt, split up by windows in between. Just in front of them.was a large table, not too dissimilar to the tailor shop one but just bigger, as most American things seemed to be. Another man stood on the other side of it, staring out the windows overlooking their land.

“At what point are you going to start behaving like a Statesman, Tequila?” The man asked. “You wanna go back to being a rodeo clown?”

“No, sir. I apologize, sir.” With that, the man (clearly the boss) turned around.

“I'm Champagne. But anyone who knows what's good for him-” He took off his hat, throwing it across the room where it landed perfectly on a champagne bottle. Eggsy couldn’t hold back an impressed smirk. “Calls me Champ. Sorry for your troubles. As your American cousins... I'm placing all of Statesman's considerably larger resources at your disposal.” A screen on the left wall displayed a graph, showing off the distillery’s money at $3,230,886,555. It was impressive, to say the least.

“Can you imagine us in the clothing business?” he spoke to an empty chair but that wasn’t the weirdest thing Eggsy had witnessed. Champ and Tequila sat themselves down while Eggsy stays standing, remembering Harry’s first lesson about having to ask before taking a seat as well as they probably had a similar set up to the Kingsmen, holograms of their other agents sitting in the chairs and Eggsy didn’t feel like sitting inside one of them. “Now, how can I help you?”

“First of all, I've got to thank you for saving Agent Galahad.”

"Wait. You said that you were Galahad.” Champ pointed out.

"Oh, no, he's talking about the butterfly guy.” Tequila answered for him. “That used to be his handle.”

“Oh.”

“Galahad always said, ‘You've got to look at the bigger picture, ask “why” as well as “who”.’ So if someone wanted to take out Kingsman, then they've got to be planning something major.”

“So what do you know?” He asked, holding a large cigar but kept it unlit.

“They're a drug cartel, we think. The name Golden Circle keeps coming up.” Eggsy shook his head, hoping maybe they’d have at least heard of it.

“Mmm. We'll look into them. What else?”

“One of our former trainees is working with them. Charlie Hesketh. Total prick.”

“You got any promising leads on him?”

“His ex-girlfriend. I've been tracking her through social media.” He pulled out his phone, unlocking it and pulling up the lady’s twitter. “We believe she's still in contact with him. And she's going to Glastonbury Music Festival.” Eggsy showed them the tweet, thankful the woman was so sharing on the internet.

“Oh, good. Agent Tequila, break out your dancing shoes. You have a new mission.”

“Yes, sir.” Tequila drank the rest of his liquor which Eggsy hadn’t realised he’d poured himself.

“Hold up. You feeling okay?”

“I'm a little tired, but fine, thanks. Galahad, you ready?” He queried, Eggsy shoving his phone away and frowning as he noticed the blue, vein-like lines showing up on the man’s face.

“Your face. You got…”

“What the fuck?” He muttered, taking a look at himself in the reflection of his cup.

“Oh, shit. Head to the sick bay, have Ginger check you out.” Tequila started towards the door only to be stopped as Champ whistled. “Hey, give him your glasses.” Tequila threw them over to him after a look of annoyance, whether that was aimed at Eggsy or the blue rash that had sprung up, he didn’t know or care. “You're in luck, kid. Put 'em on. You get our finest senior agent to join you instead. Right now, he's in our New York office. Galahad, meet Agent Whiskey.” Eggsy replaced his own Kingsman pair with the Statesman one, looking to the seat the man was pointing at. Agent Whiskey was sitting there, in a suit with a cowboy hat, and he saluted to Eggsy.

“Kid, looks like we're hookin' up with a chick at a rock concert. My favourite kind of mission. I'm sending my jet to pick you up.”

~~~

“We've dealt with this kind of amnesia before.” Ginger Ale clarified to Merlin as they stood, watching Harry flick through his book. He looked peaceful, blissfully unaware of the horrors he'd seen or the lives he had saved. Merlin sighed, arms crossed, thumb subtly twisting the golden band still sat on his ring finger, he felt wrong for wanting to take that away from Harry. “Harry's like a computer that needs to be rebooted. We need to recreate a shock or trauma from his past to trigger his memory.

“I hope you're right.” Merlin said, pressing the button on the pad. They were going to recreate the water challenge from Harry’s training as a Kingsman. Immediately, water set about filling the room. Harry reacted as soon as it touched his feet, soaking through his shoes, and he set his book down and looked under the sink, checking for a leak no doubt. 

“Uh, excuse me. There seems to be some sort of problem here.” Harry called, heading to the door as alarm set in. “Help! Somebody! What the hell is going on? Help me!” Merlin forced himself not to look away, he was a Kingsman and this needed to be done, his feelings couldn’t get in the way especially if this was how they were going to bring back the real Harry. “Help! Oh, God! No-” Harry was soon fully submerged in water, floating at the top and looking around desperately. Merlin watched, there was no change, Harry didn’t try to use the shower head as a breathing tube down the toilet, nor did he try to break open the two-way mirror, not knowing that it was one. There was nothing but the amnesiac Harry Hart with no Kingsman training and a love for butterflies.

“Get him out now.” Merlin ordered, unable to keep going in fear of drowning the man.

No, no, wait. His instincts are gonna kick in.” Ginger Ale protested, and they observed as his body took up a jerking motion, calling for air he couldn’t give it and he started to yell. Merlin shook his head, throat closing up and heart clenching.

“No... No. I'm sorry to do this.” He reached over, shutting off the water and racing out of the room. It took far too long for it all to drain away but as soon as it had, Merlin had the door yanked open, and he rushed in. Harry was sitting on his soaked bed, clothes completely drenched and coughing. “Are you okay?”

“What happened?” He asked and Merlin sat down, resisting the urge to take his hand or bring him close.

“Harry, you've forgotten who you are. We thought this might jog your memory.” Merlin let him breath for a moment, debating on whether he should tell him the truth. Watching Harry for a second, he decided. “Look, when you were young, you had a choice. To either be a lepidopterist or to join the army. You chose the army. That led to Kingsman. You became a Kingsman agent.”

“I doubt whether I'd work for anyone who drowns their employees.” Harry declared rather matter of factly.

“Are you sure you don’t remember? Eggsy? Roxy? Lee? Yan-” Merlin’s breath hitched. Harry had lost a lot more than his memories, and he wouldn’t even know, wouldn’t even care. “Don’t you remember Ianto? Our son? He’s dead, Harry, he’s gone and I’m lost and I need you, please...” Merlin tried, practically begging now, shifting a little closer, tears building.

“I don’t have a son.” That was like a bat to the chest, the wind knocked out of Merlin, and he reeled back. “I want to go home. I want my butterfly collection. I want to see Mother.”

_ “There's nothing more we can do. It's time to let him go.”  _ Ginger Ale’s voice came through over the speaker system and Merlin sighed, looking towards the two-way mirror before bowing his head. Merlin knew she was right, Harry was a different man now, not his Harry but another. He didn’t have the memories or feelings he used to have and Merlin hadn’t missed the ring no longer on his hand.

~~~

Eggsy ended in some saloon, the nearest one he could find, and he ordered a Martini. The place wasn't filled but it wasn't quite empty, a few linger persons quietly drinking to themselves. Eggsy sighed, John Denver’s Annie’s Song playing almost silently as he wallowed in his self-pity. Everything was a mess, his friends dead, his father figure gone yet still alive, his girlfriend pissed at him but hopefully not so angry that the next text she sent was a break up one, although at the moment he was being ignored. Eggsy wondered if he should have brought Merlin alone for the trip, so they could both drown out their sorrows, he would have liked the country music anyway. He was brought from his thoughts as a glass of alcohol was set on the mat in front of him.

"That's not a Martini." Eggsy pointed out, looking at a tumbler of whiskey.

"It is in Kentucky." The bartender answered and Eggsy wasn't in the mood to argue.

"Fair enough." He shrugged, drinking it in one. It wasn't as strong as the Statemen's liquor but it would do 

_ "Here's to you, Eggsy. You're exactly what Kingsman needs." _ Harry's voice floated around in his head, making Eggsy feel even worse. Unsure of what else to do, Eggsy picked up his friend. If he couldn't fix Harry, he could at least try to mend things with Tilde, so he called her even though every other time he had she'd not answered. Her voicemail came through yet again.

_ "This is Princess T. Please leave a message." _

"Can I have another Martini, please?" He asked the lady at the bar.

"Sure." The woman smiled slightly.

"Thanks." Eggsy turned back to his phone, texting Tilde in hopes she'd reply to at least one of the messages he'd sent. He was given his 'Martini' and as he took a small sip, Eggsy opened up the gallery app, deciding to look at some photos even if it made him feel worse, at least he'd have something pretty to look at. Some were of him and Tilde, others of just her or of JB. He missed his dog, though the puppy Tilde had surprised him with before the mission was just as cute, if he ever got to see it again. Eggsy let out a gentle laugh at an image of him, Tilde, and JB, remembering the memory behind it. A thought clicked as he studied the photo, and he downed the test of his drink, bringing up google and searching for nearby pet shops.

"You know what? That was the best Martini I've ever had." Eggsy complimented and the lady looked slightly taken aback, probably having never been complimented by her usual patrons. He reached into his pocket to bring out a bill for payment but someone else set down some dollars.

"Let me pay." The voice to the arm spoke and Eggsy froze at the familiarity of it, phone clattering out of his hands and onto the wooden bar top. Eggsy quickly swivelled around in his seat, eyes wide and jaw dropped.

"Ianto…" He breathed out, taking in the man standing beside him before stumbling out of his seat and grasping the bar. He knew he wasn’t drunk enough to be seeing things, having only had two shots. Therefore, it was definitely Ianto Jones in front of him, wearing his usual attire of a suit and looking utterly alive.

“Sorry I took so long.” Ianto smiled sheepishly like he hadn’t been believed to be dead but Eggsy just kept staring, unsure of what to say. That was two people he cared deeply about back from supposed death, far too much had happened in one day.

“You’re… what-”

"I know this is a shock, honestly it is for me too. I don't know how it happened but I promise I'll explain later." Eggsy slowly nodded, sorting himself out before pulling the older man into a tight hug. Ianto didn’t protest like Harry had which was already a positive thing in a sea of negatives and Eggsy felt himself melt slightly. He hadn’t lost so much after all.

“Shit…” He swore, taking a breath before letting the man go, feeling his own smile grow. “So much has happened.”

"Fill me in?" Ianto asked and Eggsy nodded, grabbing his phone. It was then did he notice another guy standing near the doorway, foot up against the door frame, wearing a red coat that looked like a circus ring aster’s coat with cheekbones higher than a cat in a field of catnip. He was watching Ianto with a close eye.

“He with you?” Eggsy asked cautiously and Ianto looked at him confused, following his gaze and a realisation washed over his features, replacing it with a smile.

“Yes, but don’t worry, John’s not someone you need to be afraid of… not always anyway.” Ianto shrugged and Eggsy raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not going to ask what you mean by that.” Ianto said nothing, just winking as he let Eggsy take the lead. “Before we head back, I've just got to make a quick pit stop."

~~~

Being dragged over sharp glass from the deepest of endless darknesses to come back to five pairs of eyes staring down at him was not something Ianto found appealing. Explicitly not when said pairs of eyes are attached to five lots of heads that almost collide with his own as he shot upwards, taking in a really deep breath, and feeling alive again. He panicked at first, the darkness had not been pleasant, it had been cold and lonely except he hadn’t been entirely alone, Death waiting for him, chasing him through the dark and taunting him. The sudden rush of noises, lights, smells, and just feelings was more than a little overwhelming, and he couldn’t help it if he let out a little scream.

Breathing quick and whipping his head around, Ianto flinched as cold air hit his bare chest, though it wasn’t an icy, soul chilling cold like the clutches of death were. He looked down at himself, fully naked although his lower half was covered by a white sheet that had fallen from his chest, he was missing his arm and this undoubtedly was not his bed.

“Ianto.” Warm - oh so warm - hands took a hold of his face, palms that were soft with callous fingers pressed to his skin. Familiar and safe just as the voice was, Ianto leaned into them, breathing evening out and the sheer terror striking through his system depleting.

“Jack...” He exhaled with his eyes shutting, voice a little rough and throat sore with a lingering residue that seemed to cling to the lining of his throat and made him cough. Lips pressed to his damp forehead before something cold was pressed to his lips. At first, Ianto recoiled, again thrown back into the dimension he was just in until his eyes shot open, and he found it was only a glass. Some water inside that Ianto grateful accepted, it was a relief as it cleared up his mouth and throat. Dying left you with a terrible after-taste.

“Listen to me, it’s alright, yeah?” Jack soothed, the glass being taken away and Ianto was bundled up in his arms. Warmth spread through him, the soft fabrics of Jack’s coat nice against his skin. There was no stopping Ianto from burying his face in it and melting almost completely. “You’ve just come back and I know how that feels and the first time is scary but it’s going to be okay. We’re here, John’s here, I’m here.”

“Jack.” Ianto repeated as if that was the only thing he could say, death having muddled his brain up to the point he’d lost cognitive ability for the time being.

“That’s right, everything is fine.” It took a moment for Ianto to recognise the relief in Jack's voice, and he wondered just how long he was out and then it hit him. He had died. Ianto Jones had been as dead as a doornail, gone, expired. Death had had him close yet Ianto was back, resurrected almost.

“Jack- oh god.” Ianto tensed up and pulled from the man’s hold. Jack watched him with concerned eyes. “I was- Jesus, Jack- what- fuck!”

“I know, it’s a surprise and god knows how it’s happened but you’re back now and that’s all that counts.” Ianto nodded slowly, a hand taking his, and he turned to see John. He stayed quiet and Ianto tried to distract his thoughts from everything else. The dead doctor then shoved his way closer, pushing Jack out of the way.

“Okay, Tea Boy. You seem fit and healthy but I just want to check you over again as it’s not everyday someone other than Jack comes back to life.” Owen tried to jest and it worked partially, that Ianto was thankful for but even as Owen set about working, Ianto didn’t tune himself out from the others' conversation.

“What’s our next plan?” Gwen asked, looking at Jack.

“We’ve got to figure out who sent those missiles.” Jack declared and Ianto winced as Owen stuck him with a needle and then poked him with his fingers. “If they’re after all of us or individually. And also the connection between the other spots.”

“The Hub’s completely gone though.” Tosh said, a hint of sorrow in her voice. Ianto knew she’d lost a lot of things down there and everything was destroyed, tech as well as personal items. The Hub had been a second home to them all and Ianto felt a pang of sadness as he thought about it just being gone. That was the second workplace of his to be ruined in less than a day. They continued to discuss, Owen eventually bringing over his prosthetic.

“I know who we can ask.” Ianto spoke up, a thought occurring to him as he easily slipped his arm back on before scowling at the dents in it. Everyone looked at him, and he was hit with a sudden rush of stage fright. “We can ask the Kingsman.”

~~~

A little later on, after their impromptu and slightly surprising but pleasant visit to the pet shop, Ianto found himself walking through a distillery. John had stared at the numerous barrels with some sort of lust, dribbling and just wanting to get his hands on it all but his dreams were broken as they entered one of the barrels modified to be a lift. The next place they were in reminded him of Torchwood One, whitewash walls, lights too bright, the peak of modernisation. For a moment, it had taken Ianto’s mind of everything Eggsy had told him, Roxy was dead, as were the rest of the Kingsman. He’d known about the missiles after Tosh had filled him in but there had been no word on casualties. It stung, knowing there was no way he could have help, having been attacked himself but it had hurt a little more hearing that they’d mourned him too, though touching to know they cared.

Then there was the matter about Harry who was apparently alive now but an amnesiac. Eggsy had one last idea on how to bring his memories back and Ianto hoped they’d work, not sure if he could face the man he thought as a dad when Harry didn’t even know who he was. And, of course, there was also seeing Merlin, something that somehow made him more nervous than anything. He'd only been gone for under twenty-four hours and Ianto had been away from him for much longer than that. Although, the other times he hadn't died so there was that to consider.

A hand on his shoulder put a stop to Ianto motion, and he realised where they were again.

"Stop thinking, Eye Candy, you're making my head hurt and I might throw up otherwise."

"I thought you didn't vomit?" Ianto asked, hoping to keep the nervousness from his tone, appreciating John’s attempt at distracting him. Jack would have done a better job, he’d helped with Ianto’s small existential crisis on the plane ride over, but he was with the others, setting up base in a hotel nearby that had cost more than Ianto liked but it was Torchwood’s money going into it.

"That is where alcohol is involved. I could drink a whole brewery and be fine but your thinking is what gets me. Bloody twenty-first century." Ianto cracked a small smile before taking John's hand from his shoulder and linking their fingers. They set off again to catch up with Eggsy who was walking a few steps ahead, puppy in his grasps and quietly talking to the animal. It was the same breed as Mr Pickle and Eggsy planned to use it at one last ditch at getting Harry's memories back. It made Ianto miss Branwen who was enjoying her holiday at his sister's for now, surely being spoiled and pampered by the kids. 

"So this guy? He's your… father?" John asked, breaking the silence again. Ianto nodded, smile dropping just a little as he thought.

"Kind of. After my alcoholic one died, Merin and Harry-"

"The not so dead guy?" 

"Yep. They became like dads to me basically."

"Poetic." John smirked and Ianto rolled his eyes. "Want one?" He offered, having pulled out a packet of cigarettes from his red jacket that Ianto knew held more illegal substances than tobacco, though surprisingly not alien. John seemed to like the Earthly drugs.

"I don’t think you’re allowed to smoke inside." 

“Fucking twenty-first century, honestly, I don’t know why I stay.” John exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air and shoving the box back into his jacket. Ianto rolled his eyes again, watching his partner rage over something so trivial.

“Because you like the sex.”

“There is that, Eye Candy.” John pointed with a grin, lightly bumping Ianto’s shoulder with his own. "Are we going to tell them about what happened?"

"Maybe." Ianto offered, unsure of how they’d take it, not really sure how he was dealing with it himself. John didn’t say anything back, and they kept walking until Eggsy came to a stop, turning to face them as he lightly petted the puppy’s head.

“Alright, Harry’s room is the right door and Merlin’s probably stewing in his emotions in the left one.” Eggsy gestured to each door carefully and Ianto nodded. “I’ll clue Merlin in first, you can come in or stay out here, it’s your choice.”

“I’ll-” Ianto paused, thinking. “I’ll come in.” Eggsy nodded, heading to the door but Ianto stalled, turning to John and dragging him into a kiss which helped force the tension to flee from his body. He then pulled away before it could get too heated or John decided he couldn’t leave. “Good luck kiss.” Ianto winked as John watched him, heading after Eggsy.

“Merlin! Got a surprise for you.” Eggsy announced and Ianto looked around the small room. Merlin was sat in a chair, glasses hooked onto the neck of his sweater and his body in a defeated slump. There was a large glass window on one of the walls, however the room was dark but Ianto could hazard a guess that that was where Harry was staying. The youngest of them stepped in front of Merlin, nudging him slightly.

"I've had far too many surprises for today…" Merlin trailed off, having lifted his head to look at Eggsy then followed the direction the kid had nodded in. His jaw dropped much like Eggsy’ had before he stood up abruptly. "Oh my god."

"I hope you like this surprise, pa." Ianto shifted, unsure if he should step closer or let Merlin go at his own pace. The older man’s eyes just scanned over him, wild and frantic as if Ianto would wash away in front of him if he didn't take the whole of him in thought things were probably a little blurry without his glasses on. A second later, Ianto was enveloped in a bone crushing hug, a hand cupping the back of his head and Ianto melted into it.

“Son, you’re alive- fuck, you’re alive!” Merlin laughed, squeezing him tighter.

“Seems so.” Ianto grinned as Merlin held him at half an arm's length. He swept his gaze over Ianto again, double-checking her was still there.

“And you’re alright?”

“Perfectly. Though my arm hasn’t grown back yet, pa.” Ianto joked and the other two laughed. He was glad.

“I’m gonna give Harry his present now.” Eggsy smiled, jostling the puppy slightly as it let out a small yip. Even if Harry didn’t come back, at least he’d have a cute companion to accompany him on his journey. Merlin looked at it in confusion but said nothing, hand lingering on Ianto's elbows before taking a moment to wipe his eyes before putting his glasses on.

“How did you-?” Merlin half asked, though Ianto didn’t need him to finish the sentence to know.

“They blew up my work rather than my home. God knows that place isn’t a secret like Jack wants it to be.”

“And you weren’t in there?”

“I-” Ianto stalled, deciding he didn’t really want to approach that part just yet. They’d had enough dramatic revelations for the time being. “My team is here, in America, hopefully waiting at a hotel.”

“They know about us then?” Merlin raised an eyebrow and Ianto scowled at him.

“There wasn’t much I could do, all our resources were gone or buried under rubble.” Ianto started to explain but Merlin shook his head.

“It’s alright, it’s not like there’s much they could accidentally sell out and if they’re Torchwood then I trust that they know secrecy.”

“To an extent.” Ianto shrugged, thinking about the many,  _ many _ labelled items they had, including the goddamn SUV. Jack was a bit of a maniac in that part but what else could an immortal do once he’d done just about everything and more and had loads of spare time on his hands. At least he hadn’t resorted to team tattoos just yet.

The lights in the neighbouring room then slowly powered up and Ianto turned to watch Harry wake up and immediately be started by Eggsy who was standing near the door.

“It's all right. Don't panic. Just thought I'd bring you a little leaving present.” Eggsy reassured, his voice filtering through the speaker, making his way over to Harry’s side. “What do you think? He's lovely, isn't he?” Harry’s head nodded slightly and Ianto moved closer to the glass, just staring at the man he thought to be dead for the past three years, the man he’d mourned and dedicated every day to, the man who was really one of his fathers.

“Would you like to hold him?” Eggsy proposed, handing the dog over to Harry who gingerly took it with a smile. He held the thing up near his face, taking it in and Ianto took in the eye patch, the happy expression, the different Harry.

“Hello.” Harry cooed softly, unaware as Eggsy took a gun from behind him, one Ianto hadn’t noticed earlier, and aimed it right at the small dog.

“Do you think I should shoot him?” Eggsy asked and Harry was snapped from his gazing.

“Are you quite mad?” He yelled, clutching the puppy close in a protective hold as he jerked away and out of the bed, backing up against the two-way mirror. Ianto tensed slightly, chewing on his lip, he hoped this would work and wouldn’t just traumatise Harry and ruin any sort of chances at a new bond between him and Eggsy. Merlin’s hand fell onto his shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

“What? What's the problem?” Eggsy questioned, trying to get Harry riled up as he followed the man, gun still pointed to the dog. “Eh?”

“No! You can't!” Harry pleaded in a way that made Ianto’s heart clench. His Harry had never let himself be that vulnerable.

“What?”

“No, you'll have to shoot me!” Harry cried, moving around and heading towards the opposite corner wall. Merlin’s hand tightened its hold and Ianto held his breath.

“Shoot you? Well, I will shoot you.”

“No. No one's sick enough to shoot a puppy!”

“Well, what about you, Harry? You were sick enough to shoot a puppy!” Eggsy reminded him, holding Harry in the corner at gunpoint as the man tried to keep the dog safe, valuing it over his own life. “Do you remember?”

“What?” Harry asked, his breathing picking up as he stared at Eggsy. He started to look around, hand coming up as if to shield his face from something. Eggsy kept watching him, gun staying where it was and Ianto muttered under his breathing, hoping - praying it was working. Harry looked like he was remembering something at least, looking down at the dog then off into the distance.

“It was a blank.” Harry finally spoke up after what seemed like forever.

Yes, Harry. Yes!”

“It was a fucking blank!” He shouted and Ianto practically felt the relief flood his system, hitting him like a tsunami on a beach. He breathed out deep, feeling his body relax and everything at last felt mostly back to normal. 

“That's right. It was a blank!” Eggsy agreed, still waving the gun around.

“I would never hurt Mr. Pickle!”

“Yes, Harry!”

“He lived to a ripe old age! He died of pancreatitis! He-” Harry stopped himself, looking down at the dog in his grasp as Eggsy slowly lowered his weapon. “You're not Mr. Pickle.”

“Eggsy.” He said, a glint in his eye like the old Harry always had and that set Merlin off, leaving the room and Ianto behind as the Welshman came back to himself.

“Hello, Harry.” The two hugged and Ianto watched it for a moment longer, apparently frozen to the spot.

“Eggsy.” He mumbled again, held tightly by Eggsy before he was released. “Valentine has to be stopped.” Harry warned and Ianto remembered the man had missed so much time, he’d been shot down mid-mission and that was probably his last memory until everything jumbled up with his time with the Statesman.

“No, I know.” Eggsy tried to comfort.

“He has a device.” 

“It's alright. It's sorted. Don't worry.” Harry felt still, watching Eggsy with his one eye and Ianto still felt rooted to the spot. He’d lost so many people after losing Harry, gone through so much, but now that man was back - had always been back. Ianto suddenly wished Jack was also here. “We got a lot of catching up to do.”

"Well, well.” Came Merlin’s voice from the side, drawing everyone’s attention. “I suppose I should cancel that taxi."

“Yes, if you don't mind.” Harry replied, a gentle smile growing on his face. “Merlin. “ 

“Welcome back, Galahad.” With that, the man marched over, Eggsy taking the puppy from Harry and stepping back as Merlin took a hold of Harry’s face. They kissed, soft and gentle and Ianto felt his eyes well up, knowing in some universes he wouldn’t have been here and in some he might have been the only one. For once, Ianto was glad he’d followed this timeline instead. Their kiss didn’t last long, Eggsy occupying himself by fussing over the puppy as Harry pressed his forehead to his husbands and then pulled away, eyes wide.

"Ianto? He's-" Harry began, trailing off as if he couldn’t speak the words, voice unsteady. That seemed to be the key that opened the lock that kept Ianto in his spot, looking around and just breathing before following the way Merlin had gone. John was still waiting, catching Ianto’s eye and subtly trying to make it look like he hadn’t been smoking inside but right now Ianto didn’t give a care. Harry was back. The door was open and Ianto stepped through, stopping for long enough for Harry to take him in. Ianto crossed the room, strides large and rushed, not caring how he almost collided with Harry, wrapping his arms around him.

Ianto felt like he could cry, clutching Harry close and just feeling how  _ alive _ he was. The memories flashed in his mind, watching to all happen, mourning, the silent house, everything hurting. It made Ianto hold on tighter, pillowing his head on Harry’s shoulder. He was here, their little family complete again. Pulling away was slow but Ianto smiled at Harry when they did, letting the older man wipe away the stray tear that had fallen down Ianto’s cheek. He then took Ianto in, checking him over like a father would, startling just a little at the metal hand he found poking out of Ianto’s sleeves.

“Your arm.”

"Yeah… about that, dad."

~~~

In the morning, after heading back to the team and a good night's rest, everyone met up in the same saloon from the prior night. John had explained in quiet hushes to Jack as Ianto had collapsed on the bed, too emotionally tired to change from his clothes and passing out not long after. Ianto still hadn’t properly told his friends why and how he knew the Kingsman, just knowing what they were, and Ianto knew he’d promised Jack no secrets but this was a little different from hiding a cyberman in the basement. The group had got some late breakfast and Eggsy and Merlin were filling Harry in with some American guy who looked a bit like a cowboy but fancier.

“So, who are they again?” Owen asked as everyone was wolfing down their food, Jack practically inhaling his pancakes in a way that concerned Ianto deeply, and he was worried the man would die choking on them. That was not something Ianto wanted to explain. Jack was squashed next to Ianto and the ladies were opposite in their booth, while Owen and John sat at the ends at the end of the table on stools.

“Eggsy, Merlin, and Harry. God knows who the cowboy is, Whiskey is his code name I believe, but the other's Kingsman.” Ianto started, stopping to take a sip of his coffee which made him grimace as it was far too bitter and not like coffee at all. “Kingsman is an independent international intelligence agency who protect people from terrorists and such.”

“And how do you know them when we don’t?” Gwen queried after swallowing down part of her bacon sandwich.

“I know everything.” He winked before adjusting his tie nervously. “I met them while working for Yvonne.”

“But you were just an archivist.” Owen pointed out but Tosh shook her head.

“No he wasn’t, he was her PA, he told us after… you know.”

“Oh yeah.” Owen nodded. “Continue.”

“They had a terrorist organisation under watch who they believed to have technology not from Earth, they got in contact with Yvonne, and she put a man on their team.”

“You.” Jack interrupted with a full mouth and Ianto nodded. At that point, they’d all stopped eating apart from John and Owen who couldn’t eat, staring at him.

“You’re like James Bond then?” Tosh asked with a teasing smile. Ianto rolled his eyes.

“You could call it that.”

“And that’s how you lost the arm?” Ianto flexed his metal fingers, a habit that came about whenever his prosthetic was mentioned. It was still dented however Ianto was sure none of its abilities had been affected and it wasn't damaged enough to not look like an arm.

“Yep though a different threat, sliced off by an alien with knife legs. You remember the sudden spike in aggression and everyone fighting one another?” Ianto asked and they all nodded. He suddenly wondered if they had fought each other or if they had been safe from the frequency down in the Hub. Did Jack start beating Owen, had Suzie yanked Tosh's hair from her head. “You can thank Eggsy for stopping that. It was those free SIM cards from Valentine and his assistant was the knife legs lady.”

“Damn. I wish I’d been here for that, could have used a good fight.” John piped up, and they all looked at him, Owen looking disgusted while Ianto shook his head, not entirely surprised.

"We were blown up because?" Owen leaned closer.

"From what Eggsy told me, it was one of the old recruits- Charles Surname, real posh type, bit of a twat." Ianto frowned, remembering his betrayal. "Hacked their system, Torchwood must have been on there though we're not exactly the most hidden organisation, just ask someone, and they point you in the direction of the Bay. Up went the Hub, intending to keep us and the Kingsman out of whatever scheme it happened. It has something to do with this Golden Circle."

"I'll have a look into the name." Tosh said, already pulling out her laptop and getting it up and running.

“Valentine had killed Harry- we were sure, shot him in the head but the Statesman saved him though we had no idea until recently.”

“And the Statesman are?” Jack queried and Ianto shrugged a genuine shrug.

“God knows, never heard of them, Yvonne never mentioned them. American version of the Kingsman I guess, but alcoholics rather than high class tailors.”

“I’ll have to thank them for making you such appealing suits, they do wonders for you with those glasses, not that you need it, Ianto.” Jack smirked, piling his knife and fork onto his syrup soaked plate, downing his water and sending a wink his way. Ianto hoped he wasn’t blushing as it would ruin his perfectly crafted mask he shoved down whenever Jack decided to embarrass him in public. The cons of dating not one, but two men from the future where things were much less uptight, they both loved to make him blush.

A tap on his shoulder saved Ianto from any further shenanigans, and he turned to see Eggsy.

“Debrief is done.” He said and Ianto nodded, taking the napkin from his collar. The bar wasn’t the best set up with the number of people in their group but they’d make do. Harry was wearing his suit, having been disgusted by the grey tracksuit the Statesman had provided him with, his trusty umbrella lying across the table. “Harry, here's a couple of welcome back gifts. First up," Eggsy shoved Harry a watch, identical to the one Ianto wore as did the rest of the Kingsman. Ianto was lucky that he still received their latest upgrades though that was probably more due to Merlin being on the team who makes them. "A brand-new Kingsman watch. Advanced software, it can hack into anything with a microchip. It is the bollocks." He handed it over to Harry who latched it onto his wrist. "And Merlin-"

“I made you these.” Merlin slid over a glasses case which Harry opened.

“A-ha." He set the case down, removing his eye patch. His damaged eye wasn't the prettiest of sights, though not that Ianto thought it would have been, but he didn't look away. It was almost fascinating, in a morbid curiosity way, not sewn shut or gaping open to reveal an empty socket, but there was definitely no eyeball in there, the bullet would have destroyed that. Ianto hadn't seen the wound up until now and Harry caught his eye, saying nothing as he set the new pair of glasses on his face. The right glass - Ianto's right, not Harry's - was blacked out, acting as an eyepatch without having to wear the thing and look like a pirate. "Thank you, Merlin. Eggsy, Ianto. How do I look?” Eggsy held up his hand in the 'okay' gesture while Ianto smiled.

"You look-"

"Like some faggot lookin' for an eye fuckin'." Some drunken American interrupted the Welshman and the happy mood was instantly washed away. He was wearing a cowboy hat and a plaid over shirt, jeans and cowboy boots, every bit the Western man, alcoholism included. Ianto bristled at the slur, Jack's hand resting on top of his which was pressed to Ianto's thigh, nails digging into the fabric of his suit. "Now, why don't you get out of our bar, before I take out your other one?" He threatened unnecessarily 

"Now, is that any way to welcome a visitor from out of town, moonshine?" The Statesman spoke up as they all looked at the bigot.

"Okay." He shifted, sticking his beer belly out and trying to look tough. Ianto would have shot him if he had his gun, shoulder holsters empty for now. "Suck my southern dick, bitch." 

"Oh, I don't think that'll be necessary." Harry replied calmly, keeping eye contact with the American before standing up. "Good day, sir." With that, his umbrella in hand, Harry took his exit to the door however none of the rest made to follow them. 

"Well? What are you ladies waitin' for?" The bigot bellowed at them, really grinding on Ianto's gears more than anyone had ever done before. They were Kingsman and even though no one knew that, they deserved respect, gay or not.

"Manners... maketh... man." Harry said down the end of the room, locking the doors to the place rather ominously. Ianto noticed Eggsy sit up, a slight look of excitement to his face despite the four other bullies joining the first one.

"Do you know what that means?" There was no answer. "Then let me teach you a lesson." Using his umbrella handle, he launched a mostly empty glass tankard across the room and Ianto watched as it sailed past the head of the first bigot. Whiskey then caught it before it could collide with the rear window near their table. Harry didn't let that stop him, though Ianto hoped it would have. "Are we going to stand around here all day? Or are we going to-" The man didn't even get to finish as a bloke came at him from the side, punching him right in the face and sending him tumbling towards the bar.

Not able to watch any more and not wanting Harry to get hurt any further, Ianto removed his cufflink, yanking both his blazer and shirt sleeve up to reveal the wrist of his metal arm. He then pressed his finger to a small fingerprint scanner that sat on the inner part of his wrist, watching as the metal split like a jigsaw and displaying a small red light, and he sprang up from his seat, Jack hand falling from its perch. He held out his arm, the display on his glasses focusing on the man about to grab Harry and once the light switched green, his hand literally flew off the end of his wrist like a rocket launcher and collided with the man about to grab Harry. The drunks all turned to him as their friend was toppled immediately.

"That's enough." He demanded, unperturbed by his hand being missing or the dog-like snarls and glares that were sent his way. "You've made your point now leave us be, and we'll let you get in with your drinking."

"Another queer, what are you, a club? Come to spread your rainbows and sparkles and sodomy?" The main guy leered as he looked Ianto up and down, already determining what Ianto was like and who he was by his appearance which just irritated him more. He leaned closer to Ianto, hands on his belt, and Ianto could smell the reek of alcohol, it reminded him of his father. That might have been part of the reason why he felt no sympathy whatsoever when he socked the pathetic excuse for a man right in the jaw.

"Shut the fuck up." Ianto spat as the man stumbled backwards, hands flying to where he was struck and looking at Ianto with a killer glare.

"You little-” 

"Ianto-" Jack tried to warn but Ianto wasn't going to back down now, the guy had insulted him, insulted them, and hurt Harry. Thankfully, the one eyed man had scrambled his way back to the others, no longer in the fray.

“C'mon then you English pansy." The man seized the front of Ianto’s suit, but he was more fazed by the creasing in his attire, and what he said which made Ianto blow up.

"Oh you just really fucked yourself there. I'm fucking  _ Welsh." _ With that, he thrust his arm up, catching the man under the jaw and electrocuting him with his signet ring, pressing the contact at the back of it. The American slumped to the floor, releasing Ianto who just straightened his tie. Two downed and Ianto hadn't even broken a sweat, stepping over the man to retrieve his hand - he really had to figure out how to get it to return otherwise he was down a hand in a fight. Picking up the prosthetic, attaching it back to the rest of his arm with a click and looking back up only to notice then men hadn’t back down in the slightest, two more even joining them. Ianto sighed. “C’mon then.”

The bravest (or dumbest, depending on your view) picked up the fight, trying to punch Ianto who moved too quick as he dodged, grasping the man’s wrist and ramming his left-hand right into the crook of his elbow. The bone audibly snapped and Ianto pushed him into his mate, both falling to the floor as one screamed in pain and the other got caught underneath him. The bartender lady let out a scream behind him, hopefully finding somewhere save to hide to stay out of danger. Ianto was suddenly grabbed from behind, arms wrapped around his neck intending to immobilise him yet Ianto didn’t let that stop him, jabbing his elbow into the man’s gut and ripping from his arms. Before the guy recovered, groaning about the pain in his stomach, Ianto shut him up by knocking his legs from underneath him with a well aimed kick and the American’s face smacking into the ground. He was knocked out.

Ianto turned and ducked just in time as a chair came for his head only to be caught by his prosthetic, the whole limb stretching out but this time attached to a metal cord which still wasn’t the most tactical but for now it would have to do. Grabbing the furniture’s leg, it was thrown back at his assaulter and sending both it and the guy crashing through a window to the outside. Unexpectedly, a sharp pain spread through his back and Ianto twisted around, a knife lodged in his back and the man holding said weapon glowering at him. That was another suit that would need repairing. The knife was pulled free and Ianto let out a sharp but quiet cry, twisting around despite feeling the blood rush from the wound and knocking the blade from his hands. Ianto then headbutted the guy, sending him stumbling away before tripping over and knocking his head on a bar stool.

There was one more guy to go, however, Ianto needn’t worry about him as the Statesman had already taken out what looked like a whip though modified to his organisation’s standards. The end was wrapped around the man’s neck within seconds and as the bigot struggled, Whiskey yanked him closer and bent over, using his body and the guy’s momentum to roll and then launch him over his back, face meeting the edge off the pool table with an off-putting thud. With each opponent down, Ianto smoothed down his suit and checked his arm was securely attached.

“Nothing like a good bar fight.” Whiskey smirked, sending a wink Ianto’s way. Ianto didn’t stop the impressed smile that grew, looking at Harry who was being consolidated by Eggsy and Merlin but otherwise okay after the punch he received. So, Ianto returned to his seat, dropping onto it with a loud puff of breath, grabbing John's beer and drinking the rest in one gulp. He wiped the mouth with his hand and leant back in the chair. Everything was silent, the team staring at him and Ianto looked at each one of them in turn

"Are we going to talk about that or no?" Owen asked and Ianto shrugged, his adrenaline wearing off as he leaned against Jack slightly.

“That, Eye Candy, was just about the sexiest thing and I would thank you if you did that to me.” John declared and Ianto rolled his eyes.

“I’d rather not.”

"You've been holding out in us." Jack nudged him slightly and Ianto turned to catch his gaze.

"That's just never been needed, although I did go soft in them."

"Soft?!"

"They're still alive, aren't they?" Ianto asked, prepared to say more and explain however the TV behind the bar switched from the baseball game it had been playing silently. It beeped like it was experiencing some technical issues with the broadcasting yet when it returned, something else played, catching everyone’s attention.

_ “Golden Circle proudly presents.” _ Sang a voice and a logo appeared, a golden circle - as the jingle suggested - with ‘Poppy’s Pharmaceuticals’ labelled across it. Then it switched to an image - no, a video or live feed of a woman with ginger hair, large glasses, yellow clothing, and red lipstick. Ianto didn’t recognise her although the name ‘Golden Circle’ rang some bells from Eggsy’s debrief yesterday.

_ “Mr. President, my name is Poppy Adams.” _ She introduced herself, adjusting her glasses and smiling like she was a glamorous assistant on some game show and not addressing America’s president.  _ “I believe the UN has no teeth. So I've selected you, as leader of the free world, to receive this communication. And I invite you to begin negotiations on the largest scale hostage situation in history.” _

“Did she just-?” Eggsy trailed off and Ianto couldn’t shake off the discomfort he felt as she smiled and continued to smile. He got up from his seat again, moving closer to the screen, as did everyone else.

_ “A few weeks ago, an engineered virus was released contained in all varieties of my product. Cannabis, cocaine, heroin, opium, ecstasy and crystal meth.”  _ A lovely display came up, showing off each substance as the woman listed them off, reminding Ianto of a PowerPoint presentation about the effects of drugs, made by the instructor who really enjoys their transitions for every object on the slide “ _ Some of you are already infected. And this is what you can expect in the coming days.” _

_ “After a brief incubation period victims present with stage one symptoms.”  _ She snapped her fingers and the screen behind her disappeared, revealing a man in a track suit jacket and bottoms, standing with his arms crossed and hands pressed into his armpits. All across his face were blue coloured lines, almost like veins yet sporadic and concerning.  _ “A blue rash.” _

_ “Next, second stage symptoms appear.”  _ Poppy snapped her fingers again and a 2nd man appeared, dressed the same however he was spaying slightly and waving his arms around.  _ “Mania as the virus enters the brain. Very distressing to the victim and those around them.” _ She whispered the last part as if it would be of some sort of comfort to the viewers.

_ “Stage three, paralysis.” _ A third man, identical to the others yet struggling to move.  _ “Muscles enter a state of catastrophic seizure. And once the muscles of the thorax become affected... breathing becomes impossible leading to a very nasty death within 12 hours.” _ As Poppy explained, the man’s eyes exploded, spraying blood against the glass before more gushed from his nose in vast quantities and Ianto grimaced. The red of his blood contrasted with the blue rash and the man looked overall horrible as stood in his own blood, dead.

_ “But I have good news to the millions already affected. It doesn't have to be this way. I have an antidote!”  _ She explained, her voice still soft as if Poppy were presenting just a simple advert trying to persuade someone into buying some sort of product. The fourth screen revealed the last victim and Ianto did a doubt take. It was Elton John. He’d been missing since Valentine and there the man was, dressed like the rest, standing stock still in the small room with another person who administered the antidote while Poppy posed. Within seconds, the blue rash was gone and Elton began to move.

_ “What have you done to me, you fucking bitch?” He yelled and Jack let out a chuffed snort. _

_ “100% effective... and ready to ship out worldwide at a moment's notice.” _ Elton sat on his bed and started to shout at the man in his room to get out while Poppy continued to ignore him and talk to the camera.  _ “You have my word. I will do this... if the following conditions are met.” _

_ “Get out of my fucking room!”  _ Elton John cried while Poppy walked off camera only for it to change to a close up of her, the dead and insane men in the background. It really was like some grime Telecom advert.

_ “First, you agree to end the war on drugs, once and for all. All classes of substance are legalized paving the way to a new marketplace in which sales are regulated and taxed... as per alcohol. And second, my colleagues and I receive full legal immunity. Meet my terms and I look forward to helping you keep our beloved country great, boosting our ailing economy, and easing spending on law enforcement. Or continue this blinkered, outmoded... and, frankly, disastrous exercise in prohibition and live with blood on your hands. Save lives. Legalize.”  _ Ianto looked away from the screen, thinking over everything. It made sense, if the Golden Circle was who Charlie was working for, if they got Kingsman - and Torchwood - out of the way, what opposition did they have? Statesman apparently.

“Okay, let’s head back to Base, I’m sure Champ has seen this too. We need to come up with a plan.” Whiskey told them, Ianto sharing a look with Jack, unsure what to say about everything.

“Fuck.” John cursed sharply under his breath though loud enough for them all to catch. Ianto turned and his stomach dropped, slowly spreading over John’s skin was the same blue rash from the TV and even the narcissistic man from the future looked terrified. To make matters worse, he wasn’t the only one. The blue rash painted itself along Tosh’s skin too.

~~~

The journey back to the Statesman’s base was tense and filled to the brim with anxiety. No one had spoken until they got back, Ginger meeting them and gawping at Tosh and John before ushering them Merlin, and Owen - who refused to let go of Tosh’s hand - down into the lower levels. Ianto watched them go before Jack’s hand on his back steered him along, Eggsy and Harry ahead, following behind Whiskey and Gwen. Everything was going wrong again but Ianto supposed that was always going to happen working with Torchwood or the Kingsman. Ianto slipped his hand into Jack’s own one, the Captain squeezing it and shooting him a smile but Ianto could see the tension in it and how it didn’t sparkle or reach his eyes properly. Jack was worried about Tosh and John, they all were. They made it into their meeting room, the large table housing enough chairs for them and guests. A news station was playing on the far screen as they walked in, FOX News with a lady on show as well as a still image of Poppy.

_ “Who is Poppy Adams? After graduating Harvard Business School... Adams was briefly held for serious mental health issues... before disappearing without a trace.” _ Ianto watched the screen for a moment, it switching to a man.

_ “Intelligent, ambitious, ruthless, lacks empathy, superficial charm. All the elements of a great CEO. Or a psychopath.”  _ Ianto took a seat as Jack let go on his hand, eyes glancing to the man standing nearer to the TV. He assumed that was the man in charge, Champ.

_ “Following the broadcast of Adams's message to the president there were scenes of chaos today at medical centres across the country and around the world.”  _ Another man explained, a news reporter who was sitting beside the woman from before

_ “The blue rash is now being renamed ‘The Dancing Disease’” _ Said the woman.  _ “As victims begin to exhibit stage two symptoms.” _

_ “Victims of the virus caused by contaminated recreational drugs flooded hospitals and clinics in fear for their lives.”  _

“Curfews and no travel orders are being considered as authorities assess the scale of the disaster.“But there has still been no official response from the president who remains locked in emergency talks.” With that said, the man standing switched the news channel off the screen. Instead, he brought up a map, a blinking red dot sitting on it labeled  _ “Washington, D.C. 28.9072°N - 77.0369°W” _ , along with an image of the White House and an audio bar.

_ “Prepare a presidential decree.” _ A voice came through, no doubt the American President.  _ “Tell intelligence and law enforcement to stand down. We're gonna dance to this lady's tune.” _

_ “Good. We can make this work.” _ Continued a lady. “ _ We spin it that it's not a matter of negotiation with terrorists.” _

_ “No.”  _ He interrupted.  _ “What I'm proposing is we appear to agree to her demands to prevent global panic and then let the junkie scum go down in flames. Huh?”  _ The President laughed and Ianto felt his stomach twist, glaring at the screen. Some part of him wasn’t surprised a politician was this heartless but still, Ianto thought maybe they’d at least try something.  _ “Huh? Yeah. Take Poppy Adams and her so-called Golden Circle down with them. No drug users, no drug trade. It's a win-win situation here.” _

_ “But, sir, we're not talking about a handful of hostages. We could be looking at the deaths of hundreds of millions worldwide.”  _ The woman explained and Ianto decided he liked her.

_ “Hundreds of millions of criminals, burdens to society. Am I right, McCoy?” _

_ “Absolutely, sir.”  _ Another male voice answered and Ianto glared harder.

_ “But, sir, that's- What about people who were just experimenting? _ ” She asked and Ianto looked away from the screen, Tosh wasn’t a criminal. John - well John was different, but he didn’t deserve to die for taking drugs. Jack’s hand found his again, squeezing it harder this time and Ianto briefly caught his eye, knowing he was thinking the same thing _. “Folks who self-medicate? Functioning professionals? Kids?” _

_ “Oh, spare me the crap, Fox. The fact is, this presidency has just won the war on drugs.”  _ Of course, this was something the President would look possibly upon. Not bothered about killing millions, only happy that the drug war was over, and he’d been the one to beat it.

_ “Congratulations, sir.” _

_ “Thank you. And that deserves a toast.” _

_ “This is totally unethical, sir.”  _ Fox argued again.

_ “Fox, shut up! McCoy, declare martial law. We need to keep control, commandeer stadiums, schools, civic centres... order a press blackout. And put the military on standby to round these junkies up.” _

“Whether they broke the law or not, those victims are human beings.” Champ finally declared, Ianto watching as he moved along the table and stopped beside a cabinet, picking up a bottle of alcohol and a cigar “Tequila. He's a great guy. And a great agent. Right now, he's lying in deep freeze waitin' on our help.”

“We can't make this personal, sir.” Whiskey brought up and everyone looked at him.

“Personal? Agent, we can't stand by and let folks like him die.” He told Whiskey straight. “These people, we're their only hope. Now, we have to find that antidote.” He took a swig of the alcohol he’d poured himself and Ianto was tempted to ask for some.

“Poppy's stockpiles, well, they could be anywhere.” Gwen said, looking to Jack 

“She must have some on hand.” Ianto offered, watching as Champ sloshed the drink around in his mouth and then processed to spit it out. Ianto shared a look with Eggsy before continuing on “Locate Poppy and obtain a sample for analysis. Maybe it can be replicated.”

_ “Sorry to cut in, guys.”  _ Ginger Ale spoke, her and Merlin now on the screen.  _ “But Charlie is on the phone with his girlfriend. Looping you in now.”  _

_ “Don't worry. I'm on a payphone covered in a fucking blue rash. Why didn't you tell me? All you said was, ‘Don't take any drugs.’ It was a music festival for fuck's sake.” _ Ianto already knew how they’d got a mic knot - into - her and that was the source of all of Eggsy’s current relationship problems.

_ “Fuck. Shit. Shit! Okay. Listen. You need to get to the lab in Italy. Do you remember where we went skiing?” _

_ “Yes. Yes, I remember.” _

_ “Yeah. Meet me there and I'll give you the antidote.” _

_ “Okay. _ ” She sighed.

“All right. Jet's ready. Whiskey, Galahad, Jones, get to Italy.” Champ ordered however, both Harry and Eggsy stood from their seats and Jack didn’t look too happy about not being included.

“You two need to fix this code name thing.” Whiskey said before leaning closer to Champ. “And with all due respect, sir, I don't think Galahad senior is ready to return to fieldwork.”

“I did actually mean…” The man trailed off, pointing at Eggsy, and Ianto could understand what they meant, clearly Harry wasn’t completely ready for the trip.

“Of course.” Harry muttered.

“And with all disrespect,” Eggsy sat down as Harry did. “I'm not going anywhere without him. Brains, skills, robot arm” He gestured to Harry, himself, and Ianto intern before turning to Agent Whiskey. “Skipping rope?”

“It's a lasso.” Whiskey explained as Champ laughed at him, Jack looking smug too, while Gwen tried to hide her giggles.

“Whatever. Come on.” Eggsy stood up and so did everyone else as Champ continued to laugh at Whiskey.

“Go on. Vamoose.”

“Yes, sir” As they left the room, Jack caught Ianto’s arm, and they fell behind the rest of them.

“I want to come with you.” Jack told him and Ianto sighed.

“We’ve already got four-”

“I know but… it could be dangerous.” Jack shifted, eyes glancing away before squeezing Ianto’s arm.

“I can handle myself.” Ianto said, watching Jack’s eyes and giving him a quick kiss.”I promise.” He assured further and Jack breathed out, shoulders relaxing.

“I don’t doubt it.” The Captain smiled and Ianto allowed himself to be drawn into a kiss. After breaking it, they continued on, following the others.

“Jack- could you check on Rhiannon, just in case?” Ianto asked before they reached the hanger, the worrying gnawing at his insides, hoping none of his family had taken drugs, medicinal or not.

“Of course. Now, go save the world. Jones, Ianto Jones.”

~~~

Tosh watched as the plane took off, her best friend inside it, going off to steal something to save so many lives. Tosh was well versed in saving Cardiff - and sometimes the world - from aliens as well as being a secret organisation but this all felt different. First of all, it was on a much larger scale than the six member team they had living underneath Cardiff’s bay, and rather than aliens, it was people. Actual people and Ianto was a spy apparently. A badass, fight winning, secret gadget toting, spy, and he hadn’t even told her. Not even when drunk on Welsh Prosecco, sitting on the Millennium centre roof, not a single peep. Ianto really was the best at keeping secrets, he’d managed that with Lisa though that was different even if the Hub had been blown up because he was associated with the Kingsman.

A hand touched her shoulder and Tosh turned her head. Owen smiled at her, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Tosh shot one back, sighing and leaning closer to him.

“Ianto’s a bloody spy now.” Owen said and Tosh nodded. So much had happened in such a small amount of time and now she was here, covered in the Blue Rash, Ianto her only hope. “Can I ask about the drugs?”

“It was my first try actually.” Tosh admitted. “I was stressed, John offered after the whole bomb thing. I wouldn’t have thought about it if he hadn’t,”

“I’m going to kill him.” Owen growled, glaring over his shoulder at John who was lingering, unsure of what to do with himself.

“Jack and Ianto wouldn’t like that.” Tosh told him.

“Screw them, they can’t kill a dead man again.”

“No, but I’m sure Ianto would have some awesome gadget up his sleeve that could really mess you up, Owen.” Jack spoke, having walked through the door with Gwen just in time to hear. Owen frowned, shaking his head and Tosh couldn’t help a tiny smile. The Captain stood behind them, wrapping his arms around their shoulders. “Knowing he’s a secret agent now, do you think he’s been holding out on things in bed? Maybe he has some-”

“Don’t finish that sentence, Harkness.” Owens warned. “Or I’ll shove you in the cryo-freeze unit and never wake you up.”

~~~

“Agent Whiskey. Antidote confirmed at the target's location. Good luck.” Ginger Ale confirmed through the comms and Eggsy pushed his way through the turnstile. The three of them wore skiing outfits while Harry just donned a hat and a thicker coat over his suit. A head was one of the most beautiful sights Eggsy had seen, a large mountain covered with snow, a forest of snow-caked trees at the bottom. His glasses were helpful in zooming in on the building resident right at the top of the mountain. They moved towards the lift, Whiskey getting in with Eggsy trailing after only for the American to stop Harry.

“Hold up. We need you two down here. To secure the control room and such.” Whiskey explained himself and Ianto shrugged, clearly not all that bothered about being up there or down here. That was easier than Harry who looked a little put out.

“Probably a good idea, Harry.” Eggsy backed him up. “Call you from the top, yeah?” Harry nodded as Eggsy smiled gently, and the two took off with him towards the control room. The door shut and the lift commenced its journey, taking them gradually up the hill. The view was spectacular, Eggsy watching in almost childish awe. He decided he was going to take Tilde skiing at some point if things got sorted between them. 

_ “At the controls, in position.”  _ Harry informed them. And Eggsy hoped with Ianto as his back up, things wouldn’t go wrong for the older man. The building neared them, looking like any old regular skiing place

“Keep this cable car here till we get back.” Eggsy told Harry as they slowed to a stop and the doors opened.

_ “Roger that, Eggsy.” _

“Clara's definitely here. We're getting warmer.” Eggsy announced, looking at his watch which was tracking the woman. They moved through the building, finding a corridor and Eggsy held his watch up side by side to the walls, watching as it indicated they were getting closer to their target. The quiet beep eventually grew more rapid as Eggsy walked along. “Looks like we've got a door.”

_ “Yep.”  _ Agreed Ginger.

_ “There you go.”  _ Merlin said and a section of the wall detached from the reset and opened up. Inside was a large room, clearly nothing to do with skiing and Eggsy stepped inside, looking around and the many, many cases of orange vials sitting on numerous shelves.

“I'll cover.” Whiskey said and Eggsy nodded, taking the steps down as people worked below.

“Hi, there. Whew. Sorry I'm late.” He apologised, walking up to the guy sitting at a desk, “You guys did not make this place easy to find.”

“Who are you?” He asked.

“I'm here to collect this antidote.” Eggsy answered, tapping the box that was perched on the desk between them.

“For Singapore?”

“Yeah.”

“You are Wu Ting Feng?” The man queried, looking in disbelief at Eggsy’s appearance as it didn’t match up with the name.

“Yes.” Eggsy reassured him, hoping he wouldn’t ask any more questions, and he could just take the vials and go. Only these things never seemed to go as easily as planned and Eggsy stomach dropped as he heard a familiar, synthetic and robotic voice.

“Hey, how are you still alive?” Charlie demanded in disbelief and Eggsy looked over, seeing the man standing not too far away from him, Clara beside him. To Charlie, he was supposed to be blown to bits alongside Roxy and JB.

“River, what are you doing here?” She asked innocently.

“River?” He echoed and Eggsy snatched up one of the vials, praying one would be enough

“Hi, Clara. What happens at Glasto, stays in Glasto.” Eggsy leered and Clara looked linked so disappointed in him. The Kingsman knew that had just given Charlie another reason to kill him but why not add to it rather than keep it as it was, it made Charlie angry and that’s all Eggsy wanted.

“You motherfucker!”

“Bye, Charlie.” Eggsy called as he departed, racing up the stairs as Charlie shouted behind him.

"Sound the alarm! You fucking cockroach!” An alarm began to blare while the Whiskey and himself took off. “Jam the door!"

"Galahad, we're coming. All clear at the bottom?” Whiskey asked, following behind Eggsy as they took the stairs leading to the lifts. “Galahad, come in!"

"Harry, come on, we're in. Let's go." Eggsy instructed as they reached the lift, helpless until Harry or Ianto got them going.

_ "Away, butterflies."  _ Harry murmured in his ear and Eggsy’s stomach twisted.

"Butterfly? No, Harry. You've got to shut the doors, please. Come on. We've got to go now. Please! Shut the fucking door, Harry! Fuck- Ianto, are you there? Ianto, for fuck sakes, answer!” Eggsy half yelled, patience thinning now that they had the antidote and things were so close to going perfect. Ready to shout again, Eggsy cut himself off as the doors closed. “Thank fuck.”

“Sorry, Eggsy. I was just dealing with nosey staff members.” Ianto spoke and Eggsy sighed.

“It’s alright, thanks man.” They began to make their journey down the mountain, Eggsy looking out the window as the small form of whom he presumed was Charlie burst out of a door. Holding the vial in hand, Eggsy waved, his face smug beyond measure. It was always good to see Charlie being one upped again. Turning away as they moved lower, Eggsy safely tucked the glass vial into the breast pocket of his ski suit. “You all good down there, Harry?"

_ "All clear." _

_ "Hello, Eggsy.”  _ Charlie’s ugly mug showed up on a display in the lift, looking down on them. _ “Enjoy the ride, bruv."  _ Abruptly, the lift began to spin, making Whiskey and himself stumble as they reached for the overhead hand holds

"Oh, shit." Whiskey muttered as the spinning slowly increased, getting fast enough that Eggsy had to hold on with both hands, his feet leaving the ground as forces and gravity and whatnot else worked around and probably against him.

“All the buttons are dead. Controls gone. Everything's in shutdown. You're on your own, Eggsy.” Harry informed them and Eggsy cursed in his head, letting out small gasps and groans as things got worse and worse and worse until the point it was spinning so fast Eggsy lost his grip, being forced back against the window, completely unable to move. Letting out yells and panting hard, Eggsy’s vision began to go grey, discoloured red pulsing at the sides as his body was unable to cope with the conditions any more. He knew if they endured this any longer, they’d be dead by the time Ianto and Harry could get to them. It was horrible and if Eggsy could properly think, he’d tell himself to never go on the spinning cup rides in Disney  _ ever _ again. The grey and red got worse, Eggsy’s eyes falling shut for a moment before he forced them open.

He noticed then that Whiskey had managed to shift his arm down from where it had been, reaching behind his back, and he’d pulled out his skipping rope just as Eggsy’s vision blurred. The rope lit up in a bright blue light, buzzing with electricity in their confined space, latching onto the glass. Then suddenly, the glass broke away in a perfect circle and the electric skipping rope flung out into the air. The spinning stopped pretty much immediately but Eggsy had little time to recover as the lift started to fall, the rope having slashed through the wire holding the lift in the air. They both yelled as it plummeted to the snowy ground, sure it was going to hit the jagged and deadly rock face only for the other half of the wire to sharply pull taut. The air left Eggsy’s lungs as he collided with the window but the pause in falling was short-lived as they now hit into the snow.

The piles of snow didn’t stop their motion, they just barrelled through it, the looming steel tower that kept the cable wire strung up taking the brunt of the hit and breaking the lift from the rest of the machine. As they surfed across the snow, Eggsy struggled to keep his balance as he finally got to his feet, looking back and watching as the tower fell monumentally with a large avalanche of snow following under its feet.

“You've got to be fucking kidding!” Eggsy exclaimed as the tower fell on top of them but by some miracle, the lift survived, though once again the two men were thrown from their feet and met the glass with their bodies. Everything was going to be bruised. Picking himself up onto his hands and knees, Eggsy breathed heavily, his heart almost stopping as he noticed the large cabin house they were heading straight for.

“Shit!” Whiskey swore and Eggsy could see the cluster of old people sitting in chairs and enjoying their retirement holiday but now an unstoppable, speeding lift was heading their way and by the looks of it, none of them were in any condition to run away. They were fucked, except- Eggsy turned, yelling as he pushed Whiskey backwards and up against the hole he’d created, doing his very best to hold him there and pulling the cord on his parachute Eggsy had remembered he had. Of course the parachute was the American flag and Eggsy looked back at the retirement home, clinging to Whiskey to make sure he wasn’t sucked through the hole. They took up the screaming again, only stopping as they slowed to a halt, just in front of the building.

Eggsy had never felt more relieved in his life than at that moment, pulse racing and breathing heavily as he let Whiskey down. His head was spinning and throbbing, his knees a little weak but at least he was alive, and they had the vial. Walking on unsteady legs, Eggsy touched the frame of his glasses to contact the others.

“Harry, Ianto, meet us at the emergency rendezvous point.”

_ “Roger that. Got you on the GPS.”  _ Harry answered and Eggsy leaned against the glass, deciding things could wait a minute until the world stopped doing pirouettes around him.

~~~

Ianto didn't want to talk to Harry as they left the building, just grabbing the man's bag and storming out of the building. He had no idea what had happened in the control room other than Harry was not at all ready for the field, they had brought him back far too early and they would have been okay with just the three agents, Merlin or the other Statesman agents could have been called in. Ianto was going to speak with Merlin and Eggsy once they were back at the base with the antidote and a private room. The two of them traverse their way down to the rendezvous site, a small abandoned cabin at the bottom of the mountain, past a small wooded area. It was secluded and a perfect place to lie low for a bit.o let Harry knock on the door, sure he could manage that in his state.

"Are we late?" Harry asked nce Eggsy opened the door, standing there with the antidote in hand. A single vial with a golden, honey coloured liquid inside. "You found the antidote." The American nodded and Harry stepped into the house, Ianto moving to follow when Whiskey yelled.

"Get down!" He lunged forward, pushing Eggsy out of the way as Harry dragged Ianto inside. The Welshman watched in horrified slow motion as the vial flew from Eggsy's grip, soared through the air, and bounced once on the ground before shattering and spilling the liquid. Nobody had time to catch it, not even Ianto, and they were all forced into cover as shooting started up outside, bullets hailing down on them as they broke the glass and splintered the wooden panels. To their luck, the lower half of the walls was built out of stone, giving them a decent shield for now.

"You fucking dickhead!" Eggsy raged over the gun fire, Ianto reaching into his jumpsuit and pulling out his gun from the inside pocket. It was only a handgun so limited bullets and not so powerful compared to what the enemy seemed to be using.

"Fuck you! I just saved your life!" Whiskey argued back, Ianto briefly glancing outsided and shooting wildly, unsure if he managed to hit any meaningful target.

"Yeah, and cost millions of people theirs!" The shooting continued for a little longer before everything fell relatively silent, the sound of snow crunching underfoot and everyone's loud breathing all Ianto could hear. He took his chance, peaking over the top to see the man, all dressed in white camouflage, running and seeking cover.

"All right, they're going for cover and reloading. I'll fix their wagons. Cover me, boys!" Whiskey ordered as he raced out of the cabin. Ianto ddi what he said, aiming his gun out of the broken window and shooting in the vague direction of the enemies.

"Wait." Harry said and Ianto looked at him. Eggsy, Ianto, I think he could be working for the other side." Confused, Ianto caught Eggsy's gaze, finding a similar look there. The Welshman just hoped Harry's opinions wouldn't get any of them killed, they'd already lost the antidote and needed to retrieve more.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? You're having a brain fart! Look!" Eggsy gestured outside to where Whiskey was busy fighting the enemy on his own, going a good job at it without their cover. "Does that look like he's working with them? Harry, are you seeing butterflies again?"

"I know what I'm seeing." Harry muttered and Ianto watched as Whiskey dominated the fight, shooting down his enemies easily as if he wasn't outnumbered and alone. He kept going, even after his guns had run out of ammo, taking out his electric lasso and slicing a man in half. With all the men dead and a low rumble of an engine in the distance, Whiskey made his way back to them.

"Good job he didn't need our help." Ianto hissed, shooting a glare Harry's way. Whiskey stepped through the door less than a second later, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Thank fucking Christ I didn't need any backup!" He spat and then moved to Harry's bag, opening it up and rooting through it. I'm out of ammo! Troop carrier coming in. What've you got?

"Fuck!" Eggsy swore before circling around to look through the window. Ianto did the same, watching as a white truck pulled up through the trees, unloading more men. "Shit! There's a fuck ton of 'em!"

"What is this? Looks like you packed for a fucking slumber party, not a mission!"

"They've got bloody Gatling guns!" Ianto informed, shutting his eyes for a moment, there was no getting out of this one, Ianto was sure.

"You have ten seconds to surrender before we open fire!" One of the men shouted towards them after they'd all lined up in position with their much bigger guns.

"Guys, hurry up!" Eggsy encouraged as the man took up counting backwards. 

"Hey! Butterfly guy!" Whiskey snapped his fingers and Ianto looked away from the window and at Harry who was just staring at the American. "You don't look like Ginger fixed you right. I said I'm empty! Give me yours." Whiskey demanded but Harry held the weapon up in a tight grip.

"Harry, give him the fucking gun!" Eggsy snapped as the man reached five in his count. Ianto kept switching his focus from the men outside to the men inside, not sure who was going to get shot first and by whom, however, he hadn't expected Harry to shoot Whiskey in the head, point-blank and without reason too. "Harry, no!"

"Oh, fuck it! Fire!" The leader called but Ianto was too busy staring at Whiskey's crumpled body to take much notice, Eggsy's yell still ringing in his ear as he tore his gaze to look at the man he thought he knew. His Harry would never have killed a fellow agent without significant evidence first, this was not his Harry Hart and Ianto worried that version of him had left once he'd been shot.

"Ianto, Harry, get down!" Eggsy ordered, all three of them dropping to the floor as all of the guns started up, much more powerful than before, ruining the window, the walls, and the doors, sending shards of glass and wooden splinters everywhere. They wouldn't be able to stay in here forever, the men would soon reach the door and open it up, they'd litter their bodies with bullets and leave them to die slowly or take them to whomever this Poppy was or even Charlie. Ianto would prefer the death in his case but not for his family. "I mean, honestly, Harry, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

"He broke the vial on purpose!" Harry argued over the noise, bringing his bag towards him. Ianto ducked his head as a large chunk of wood whizzed past his ear, nicking the soft skin.

"You're a fucking idiot! You're out of control, Harry!"

"If we made it out of here, he was going to kill us both!" Harry's reasoning would have made perfect sense if he wasn't talking about Agent Whiskey, a Statesman, an ally. Their only ally with resources that they so desperately needed or by now Ianto was sure they'd all be dead, although it seemed to be heading that way anyway.

"For fuck's sake Harry." Ianto snapped, catching both men's attention. He didn't get angry often and sometimes it would even take himself by surprise but at his point he was beyond angry really, with other emotions equally fuelling his irritation. Everything was fucked, everyone was going to die, Tosh and John were infected and going to die, the three of them were trapped and going to die. Whiskey was already bloody dead, Tequila was in cryo though that would never be a permanent solution so soon he would be dead too. "It looks like he wouldn't have fucking had to!"

"Oh, ye of little faith." Harry, having taken some sort of after shave bottle from his back, pressed down on the top of it and the clear liquid turned blue, mixing in beautifully before he checked it out of the window. Next, came an explosion and the shooting ceased fire. Everything was quiet apart from the house settling in its now ruined state and Ianto could hear his breathing loudly. Peering past Harry, Eggsy caught his eye, looking unhappy as hell and Ianto couldn't blame him. When the gun fire didn't start back up again, everyone rose from their positions, Ianto aiming his gun out of the window in case of anyone waiting to gun them down, however, everyone outside was either dead or covered with this weird blue substance, making them look like those tiny plastic soldiers only their features were less defined and all looked like they had been knocked off their feet.

"This does not mean you're off the fucking hook!" Eggsy bellowed before crouching down at Whiskey's side. Ianto stayed where he was, unsure of what to do.

"We need to go dark. We don't know who else at Statesman could be working against us." Harry said as Eggsy dealt with Whiskey.

"Shit! This is all my fault. You weren't ready for the field and I pushed for it!"

"He showed his hand." Harry mused and Ianto refused to meet his eye. "You think he'd have let us live? You should be thanking me for saving our arses!"

"Saving our arses? Try saying that to fucking Whiskey!"

"You are unbelievable." Ianto whispered to Harry as he moved past him, stepping outside to get some air and contact the others. "Merlin, you there?"

"Yes, Ianto." Answered the Scot. At least he was still competent in his job.

"Whiskey's down. He's been shot."

"What happened?" Merlin asked and Ianto sighed, turning around as he heard footsteps. Harry was standing there, watching him,waiting to see what he said. Ianto half wanted to tell them the truth.

"He got caught in the crossfire. I've applied the alpha gel. We'll bring him in." Ianto reassured, breathing out of his nose and looking over to the building up on the top of the mountain. The lift up to it was a no-go. "But first, I've gotta find a way to get back up to that lab and retrieve more antidote." Only his hopes of getting more antidotes were crushed as the building went up in an explosion, no doubt Charlie covering his tracks now that the lab had been exposed. Harry stepped further outside and Eggsy joined them, staring up at the fiery explosion with a look of defeat. "What now?" Ianto queried, looking at the other two, completely out of ideas.

"Wu Ting Feng, Singapore." Eggsy answered for him.

"Who?" Merlin asked.

"Exactly. It's the only lead we've got." Eggsy explained, Harry butting in.

"So I suggest you find out who he is. Come on." The man moved back to the cabin and Ianto looked at Eggsy, who in turn looked exhausted. Today had been a tough one and Ianto somehow hoped things would get better once they got back to base.

~~~

"Ianto, stay still for one fucking second." Owen complained as Ianto paced the hospital suite, steps loud against the floor as he moved, energy and anger and panic pent up and left him restless. After they'd returned from the botched mission, Ginger Ale and Merlin had taken Whiskey, Harry and Eggsy hot on their heels while Ianto had sought out his friends, worried sick about John and Tosh who had now entered the maniac stage. Owen had said they were going to cryo-freeze them soon enough, as much as Ianto hated the idea, it was better than seeing them as they were. Gwen was currently trying to stop Tosh from doing ballet around the room while John was draping himself over anyone and everything, flirting to no end whether his victim was inanimate or not.

"I can't- shit, we are screwed." Ianto stressed, running his hand through his hair, breathing heavily while his mind was all over the place.

"Ianto, calm down." Jack instructed, his hand coming to rest on Ianto's shoulder, squeezing it. Ianto looked at him, seeing nothing but compassion in his eyes and sighing deeply. "Tell us what happened." Ianto nodded and let Jack lead him to one of the chairs in the room.It was hard and uncomfortable but Ianto took it anyway, leaning back and feeling it tip slightly.

"Harry shot Whiskey." Ianto confessed, dropping his chair back down with a sharp hit that jolted his body but didn't bother him. Gwen looked over at them with wide eyes, having heard and being distracted from stopping Tosh who tried to pirouette but fell flat on her backside. Ianto would have found it amusing if the situations were different. Jack's hand, which had moved from his shoulder to Ianto's knee, lightly squeezed again, telling him to continue. "Fuck, he wasn't ready, I shouldn't have let Eggsy bring him."

"It's not your fault, Ianto. I was there, Eggsy clearly wasn't going to be persuaded otherwise." Jack tried to comfort him and Ianto nodded, realising he was right though a guilt still gnawed at him.

"This guy Wu Ting Feng and the reconnaissance drone are our only chance at getting the cure." Ianto explained and both men nodded, Owen glancing over at Tosh and the Welshman caught the look of concern in his eyes. Owen might be a dead man walking but even his demise hadn't curbed his emotions, and Ianto wondered if his death had actually brought them forward and knocked some sense into the doctor. He was sure, after this, Tosh and himself were going to have to have a nighttime drunken, millennium roof talk. A thought struck him and Ianto sat up, eyes wide.

"Shit! Rhiannon- Jack, did you get in touch with them?" He asked, looking at the immortal in refound panic. Jack just took his hand, kissing his knuckles and nodding.

"Yes, I did. They're fine."

"Oh thank fuck." Ianto breathed out, collapsing back in the chair again and shutting his eyes. Today had been far too stressful, even for Torchwood. He was in dire need of a relaxing bath, maybe a massage, copious amounts of alcohol, and a good pizza

"Rhiannon told me to tell you to save the world again but don't be late for dinner next weekend, she's cooking casserole." That made Ianto smile, eyes still shut. Even in a time like this, there was nothing Ianto wanted to do less than be late for his sister's cooking, she could be cruel if she needed to be. Although, Ianto supposed, the small bit of normalcy that Rhiannon unknowingly offered him was one of the best things he could ask for. After that, things were quiet, apart from his two sick friends doing their best to try to dance and flirt. Gwen was struggling and in the end Owen had got up to help the poor Welshwoman. John has sauntered his way over to Jack and himself, well, he tried to anyway, his footing not exactly perfect and his body swaying more than a ship in a storm. Jack did his best to go along with John's nonsensical words, or perhaps they were an alien language, while Ianto just watched, holding the immortal's hand close. He kept telling himself things would be alright, they'd beat this and save the day.

Ianto's musing was broken when the door opened and there stood Eggsy, Harry and Merlin behind him. He looked agitated and Ianto hoped nothing had happened, standing up from his seat to John's dismay.

"Ianto, we're leaving now." Eggsy said curtly and Ianto nodded, prying John's fingers from his blazer.

"C'mon Jack, let's go." Jack followed suit, though it took him a little longer to escape John's grasp, Gwen coming to the rescue, and the two joined the other three. Everyone was quiet, Ianto could feel the tension in the air and could probably cut it with a knife if he cared to, though he kept his eyes forward, hand clasped in Jack's.

~~~

Jack held his arm around Ianto's waist as the Welshman lay stretched out on one of the two sofas inside the Statesman's plane which was far fancier than Jack had ever been in, since sticking to 21st Century Earth. He was fast asleep, exhausted from the recent events as well as past - though not too far back - events. All the worry and stress lines were gone from his face, smoothed out and young looking as it should, a day-old stubble grown on his face, and his suit just a little crumbled. For now, he'd removed his prosthetic, it was lying on the swivel chair near the sofa and his blazer and shirt sleeve hung limp across him. Jack pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, smiling slightly as Ianto's gentle snores picked up.

Down the end of the plane was a bar, where Harry stood with Eggsy, both talking and Jack glanced down at Ianto again. It marvelled him how Ianto, his Ianto, had another life out there aside from Torchwood, one where he was this top secret, badass and sexy spy, and Jack had absolutely no clue. It had never come up in the background search for Ianto nor had the Welshman himself ever mentioned it but then again, if he had, then Ianto wouldn't be that great of a spy. Of course, there was the whole trust thing and telling each other important things, but Jack had his secrets, and he didn't begrudge Ianto for having his, and so did John. Everything would be fine, it had to be.

"Jack?" The immortal looked up, both men watching him. "It is Jack, isn't it?" Harry asked and Jack nodded.

"Captain Jack Harkness, at your service." Jack smiled broadly.

"Would you care for a Martini?" Jack thought about it, usually he'd stick to water but sometimes a Martini was needed, so he carefully stood, removing his RAF coat and draping it over Ianto before joining the pair at the bar. Harry passed him a glass before pouring himself one. "So, how is it you've come to know my son?"

"Torchwood Three, practically stalked me for the job, almost ran him over until we saved Myfanwy." Jack answered, taking a sip of his drink. It tasted delightful, one of the best Martinis he'd ever had.

"What happened to Torchwood One?" Harry asked and Jack remembered he wouldn't have known.

"It was destroyed, Harry." Eggsy continued for him and the older man blinked in shock. "Yvonne let these things through, the Cyberman they were called but looked like large tin cans on feet to me."

"It was a mess, Ianto is lucky to have survived." Jack said solemnly, glancing back to the sleeping man and sighing. Lisa came to mind and the ordeal with the Cyberwoman, how Ianto spent so long thinking it was his beloved, and wanting and needing to help her only for it to come crashing down in a single night. Jack still regretted the way he acted that night, betrayed and angry but knowing if he was ever in that situation, he would have done the exact same. "He came to me, to Torchwood Three after it all happened, has been with us since and I don't regret hiring him in the slightest, although sometimes I wonder if he'd have had a better life leaving the organisation."

"Merlin offered him a spot in Kingsman, but he wouldn't take it." Eggsy explained, looking down at his own drink. Jack hadn't known that, though how would he.

"The last time he brought up Torchwood Three, Captain, was when he'd said you'd gone rogue." Harry said and Jack couldn't help but let out a chuffed noise, nodding slightly.

"Yeah, when I took over I split, didn't like Yvonne's ways or principals but I wanted to help keep the world safe." Harry nodded, watching him. "I abandoned them for a bit, had some… business, I needed to figure out but I came back, asked Ianto out and here we are."

"You're together?" Harry raised an eyebrow and Jack nodded enthusiastically.

"Me and him, John came later, though where I'm from poly relationships are as normal and common as socks and sandals, although socks and sandals should not exist  _ ever."  _ Eggsy laughed at that and Jack smirked in satisfaction, though he really did think socks and sandals were the scum of the universe, and he had no idea how they had survived through the many millennia.

"Where are you from then?" Eggsy questioned after settling down.

"Would you believe me if I said the 51st Century?" Jack tried and Eggsy's eyes widened.

"You're fucking with me."

"Nope." Jack shook his head, popping the 'p' as he spoke. "51st Century blood, through and through."

"Why'd you come back to this century then? Surely the future is much more wild and exciting."

"It can be, but I like it here. It's got its perks amongst its flaws. And, I'm stuck anyway, my rides out of here are broken or AWOL." Ianto decided at that moment to let out a rather loud snore which made Jack beam and his heart burst, the Welshman was practically adorable when he slept and as creepy as it might sound, watching him rest was one of Jack's favourite past times. If Edward Cullen could do it to Bella, Jack could watch his boyfriend too, at least he wasn't going to turn Ianto into a vampire and have a weird half human, half vampire baby which gets imprinted on by an adult werewolf, who had also been a love interest of the baby's mother at some point. And yes, Jack had watched Twilight, all of them in fact, and he decided to never do that again.

"Gentlemen." Called the Scotsman as he entered into the room from the cockpit. If Jack remembered right, his name was Merlin. "I hate to break up a party. We're nearly there, so I suggest we get ready." He looked at the sleeping Ianto and Jack took that as his cue, downing the rest of his drink and leaving the glass on the side before moving to Ianto. He lightly shook the man's shoulder, knowing he could be a really heavy sleeper if Ianto really tried. It took a few more nudges and calling of his name before Ianto's eyes opened up, revealing beautiful blue irises that were clouded in a haze of sleep.

"'ack?" He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as he rubbed them.

"Up you get, sleepyhead, we're nearly there." Jack kissed his forehead and Ianto slowly sat up, rubbing his hand over his face. Jack smoothed down his hair, some parts at the back having stuck up in a way that made the immortal smile, then helped him put his prosthetic on. It didn' take long of Ianto to fully wake though Jack knew a cup of his ambrosia-like coffee would have made the process work double thes speed, in fact, Jack could have gone for one of those cups of coffee over the martini any day butt hat would have to wait.

"Follow me." Merlin instructed once Ianto was up. They followed the Scot into the next room which was the bedroom. A large, king-sized bed sat against one wall and Jack smirked to himself, catching Ianto's gaze and throwing him a knowing and suggestive look which had the Welshman blushing and shaking his head. If this mission went well, Jack knew a celebration was in order and it looked like the bed could use a bit of testing. Opposite the bed was what looked like a built-in wardrobe, Merlin pressing a button which opened it up, revealing five smart looking suits hanging up and waiting to be put on.

"Oh, yes." Eggsy nodded smugly, though Jack was more excited to see Ianto in one than anything else. They all took their own suits, Eggsy heading off to get changed in the plants oversized bathroom while Ianto and Jack moved into the main area, giving Harry and Merlin their privacy. Jack shamelessly got a bit handsy as they were changing, making Ianto blush and swat him away as he tried to put on his clothes, knowing if they weren't on such a serious mission, they'd be behind schedule because he found it almost impossible to keep it in his pants when Ianto was changing out of his. Somehow, they managed to get dressed, taking a seat as Eggsy and Harry joined them. Jack felt pretty smart, his RAF coat thrown over his suit which was a dark navy colour, two-piece rather than a three like Ianto's, with a dark, plain tie and Kingsman issue glasses.

"Hey, hey. Looking good, Merlin." Eggsy complimented once the Scot walked through the door, umbrella in hand and briefcase in the other. Something told Jack he didn't wear suits or go out in the field very often.

"Feeling good, Eggsy." The man smiled. "Right. This is yours." He handed the umbrella to Harry while holding out the briefcase to Eggsy. "That's for you." He moved to the pool table in the middle of the plane, pressing a button and Jack watched as the top lifted up like a car boot would, revealing a whole arsenal of weapons inside. They all crowded around it, peering in before Merlin handed Jack a baseball bat. "Press the 'S'. Minesweeper. Courtesy of Statesman." The end opened up, showing off the minesweeper, and Jack smirked with glee, deciding Torchwood would definitely need to upgrade some of their things. Alien tech was one thing but combining it with the smarts of Kingsman and Statesman, it would be even better and the Captain knew Tosh would have a field day looking at all of these.

"And what about these?" Eggsy asked, picking up an innocent looking baseball.

"Careful. Those are hand grenades." Merlin warned and Jack lit up a little more, feeling almost like a kid in a candy store. "Ianto, we've made you this." The Scot picked up a new prosthetic which looked much more streamlined and fancy than Ianto's current one, although that one was pretty cool too. This one was made of a black metal opposed to a silver, with less wire exposed and now no more dents. "It has the same abilities as your old one, but with an added few more."

"Thank you, Merlin." Ianto beamed, effortlessly taking off his prosthetic and discarding it on the sofa then replacing it with Jack help. He tested it out, squeezing his fingers and bending it at the elbow before flipping Jack off with a childish gleam in his eye. Jack laughed softly, watching Merlin hand Eggsy a glasses case.

"As discussed, this is for the endgame. I'm entrusting it to you." The kid opened it, showing Harry its contents before tucking it away safely. Jack didn't ask, he knew what it was "And I'm entrusting this-" Merlin scooped up a cutlass. "-to me."

~~~

Traversing through the Cambodian jungle in a three-piece suit was not advisable, Ianto decided. It was hot, and he was sweating beyond belief as the sun beat down on them, and he wasn't even wearing a thick coat like Jack was, just his black suit which only just seemed to keep him from boiling alive. Although the upside to them all wearing suits was Ianto getting to see the Captain in once rather than his usual attire along with glasses, it was a sight Ianto wanted to see more often and had committed to memory, constantly tempted to just drag him into the brushes and have his way with Jack. Shaking his head and riding his mind of those distracting thoughts and images, Ianto followed behind Eggsy, who was using the minesweeper to give them a safe route through the jungle and to Poppy's hideout, the others too many steps behind him. So far so good, with nobody stepping on any mines and being blown to pieces. They came to a stop as the foliage began to thin and Ianto spotted a group of armed guards waiting in the distance, checking that his two hand guns were sitting and waiting nicely in his shoulder holsters for him..

"Right. This is where we split up." Harry whispered to them all. "Pincer movement. Merlin, you're with me. Eggsy, Ianto and Jack, you signal when we're in position." Eggsy was the first to move, taking a step to his left except, he was immediately stopped as something clicked underfoot and beeped. Ianto froze, his blood running cold as they all looked down, a landmine underneath his foot.

"Don't move. You move, we die." Merlin instructed, setting his briefcase down while Harry took the one from Eggsy's grasp. "Luckily, I have this." He showed off a can of spray, branded with the Kingsman name and logo. He carefully shifted around Eggsy, digging out the dirt from around the landmine, exposing it and using the spray on it, it looked like frost as it collected under the mechanism. "This spray will freeze the trigger mechanism, give us a split second. So on the count of three, what I want you to-." Merlin never got to continue as Jack took things into his own hands, shoving Eggsy out of the way.

"Jack-!" Eggsy gasped, stumbling away and they all reacted, tIanto ensing up, Merlin scrambling away from the bomb and Harry doing similar, all waiting for it to go off, only it didn't and as they all turned back to the landmine, there was Jack, standing right where Eggsy had been moments before, holding the trigger down and keeping it from exploding. Ianto's jaw dropped, unable to believe just what Jack had done- no, scratch that, he could believe it but that didn't mean he had to like it.

"Jack, what the hell?!" Ianto hissed under his breath, glaring at the immortal.

"Shit- Ianto, I'm so sorry. Eggsy apologised but Ianto shook his head, hands on his hips, annoyed at Jack though thankful he had saved Eggsy's life, not ready to lose a brother today.

"Merlin, give me that can." Harry ordered, hand held out but Merlin shook his head.

"Can's empty. Split second's over." Merlin told them, remorse in his voice as he met Ianto's eye.

"Don't bother." Ianto told them, not missing the confused looks on their faces. "You don't have to always play the big hero, you know, Jack?"

"Look, Ianto, I couldn't let him die." Jack tried to defend, holding his hands up.

"I'm not saying you should have but you know how I feel about this."

"I know and I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you." Jack pleaded, giving him the puppy dog eyes look and Ianto sighed deeply, hands falling to his sides and taking a step closer to the immortal. Ianto knew there was no changing things now and at least they had a man who would spring back from death on the bomb rather than anyone else, even if it meant a horrid revival and hurt that would pain Ianto until he was one hundred percent sure Jack was okay again.

"I'm taking the coat at least, that thing is  _ not _ getting ruined." Jack smiled slightly, gingerly shrugging out of the RAF coat and hanging it over to Ianto, who folded it over his arm and took a step back.

"You're an idiot."

"I love you too, now go, save the world and maybe once this is all done we could-"

"Stop right there!" Ianto cut him off, not needing his parental figures or brother hearing whatever dirty words were going to befall from Jack's lips. He didn't need embarrassing in front of them any more than necessary. The others moved along but Ianto stalled, his anger dropping into concern as he looked Jack up and down. "Come back to me, yeah?"

"I always do." Jack smirked and Ianto carefully left a small kiss on his cheek, knowing Jack's words were true. With one last look and a mocking salute from Jack, Ianto followed the path Eggsy had taken. From where they hide, they could easily see Jack who seemed pretty unfazed by standing on a landmine and Ianto wondered if it had ever happened to him before. He began chopping away some of the foliage, Ianto realising Merlin had lent him his cutlass, before talking.

"Excuse me!" He shouted, grabbing the guard's attention. They spun around fast, guns trained on Jack.

"Identify yourself!" The leader called towards Jack.

"Captain Jack Harkness at your service, here to see Ms Poppy Adams."

"Poppy, come in." The same guards poke into his walkie-talkie, however, Ianto was too far to hear Poppy's replies. "Are you expecting another lawyer?"

"You know, this reminds me of an encounter I had once." Jack began and a knowing smirk grew itself on Ianto's face. Of course Captain Jack Harkness was telling one of his ridiculous stories to the bad guys, while standing on a landmine, at gunpoint. Ianto expected nothing less. They lived in the middle of nowhere, having made their base into a futuristic amusement park yet it remained hidden from the world."

"There's a guy here, telling some story." The guard explained to Poppy but it didn't stop Jack from continuing.

"I was sent to infiltrate it, ya'know, though the guards weren't hard to subdue, neither was the owner." The lead guard got close enough to Jack, walkie-talkie held outstretched to broadcast Jack's voice to Poppy, however, Jack had other ideas. He headbutted the guard, knocking him out instantly but setting the other men on high alert.

"We've got a situation here, Poppy." Informed another guard while Jack calmly continued to tell his story.

"Actually ended up sleeping with just about everyone there, though the owner was car to handsy, nails sharper than knives that left my back a mess for weeks." Jack grinned widely once the men were close enough, confusing them before he stepped off the landmine. The explosion was deafening and it seemed to travel through Ianto's body. He shut his eyes briefly, the one thing he hated about the idea of Jack being blown apart was that for a while there would be no body for him to sit by, no hand to hold, or head to cradle. Nothing, they'd have to wait for it all to be regrown again and god knows how long that might take. But, Jack's plan had worked, the guards were all dead or at least out of the way.

With that over, they pushed up, shooting at the men they could, Ianto not looking back as they sort out cover on either side of the large, open gates.

"I'm sorry about Jack, Ianto." Eggsy whispered but Ianto shrugged, forcing his emotions back. For now, he needed to focus on the mission at hand, lives were at stake here.

"Don't be, he'll be back." Was all he could answer with, again, the look shared between the other men didn't go unnoticed by the Welshman but there was no time to explain.

~~~

The fight started as soon as Eggsy threw the baseball grenade and Merlin used the baseball bat to send it into Poppy's compound. The guns went off, spraying their bullets their way, pinging off the gates had started to close, the four of them slipping through one by one. Harry went first, using his umbrella as their shield while Eggsy grasped his shoulder and followed on. Ianto moved with Merlin just behind him, thankful their suits were bulletproof and that the shooter's aim was so bad they couldn't get a simple headshot on any of them. A second later, the grenade exploded, sending the giant donut on top of  _ 'Poppy's Donuts'  _ sky-high and then crashing down to the floor. It disrupted the dirt on the ground and then set out to slowly roll to the side, Eggsy and Harry using it as cover while the younger man turned his briefcase into a machine gun, the muzzle sticking out of one side of the case with the trigger down the bottom. It was genius and Ianto smirked to himself as he used his handguns to shoot down their targets. Merlin held his baseball bat in one hand, gripping Ianto’s shoulder tight as they were split off from the other tw

“Crap.” Ianto muttered as one of the men dressed as a cinema usher brought out a rocket launcher but Eggsy sorted it first, briefcase held over his shoulder as he shot a small rocket from it, the explosive soaring right towards the usher and blowing him and the food stall behind him up. They advanced together, Eggsy reloading his briefcase while Harry readied his umbrella and Ianto kept firing at the enemies.

“Ianto, five o’clock.” Merlin warned him and Ianto turned, spotting the man leaping down from the roof of the cinema and stopping him from getting any closer by launching his prosthetic at him. It threw the usher back, his whole body collided with the illuminated sign, the prosthetic electrocuting him before it returned to where it should be on its own. Ianto let out a chuffed laugh, raising an eyebrow at Merlin who just looked smug that his invention worked better than Ianto’s original one had. Focusing back on the fight, Merlin whacking a few men over the heads with the back, Eggsy changed the briefcase from a weapon to a shield, protecting both him and Harry. “Green button!” Merlin called over the chaos and Ianto looked back at his prosthetic, finding said button and watching in awe as a thin piece of metal jutted out before opening up and becoming a full body shield. There was a screen at eye level, so he was able to see through the shield and at the enemies on the other side.

“How did I not think of this before.” Ianto gasped in wonder as Merlin took his space back behind the Welshman.

“That's why in the tech expert” Merlin boasted playfully and Ianto rolled his eyes, taking down the last few men outside, all dressed like food stall vendors or just body guards with matching baseball jackets, both styles clashing while the buildings Poppy had had built contrasted with the ancient ruins she’d desecrated. A chef raced out of the dinner with an assault rifle in hand, a seemingly comical site though he didn’t get far as Harry’s umbrella threw its handle at the man, knocking him out before the curved end caught the gun, bringing it right to the Kingsman.

“Merlin!” He called, throwing the gun their way for the Scot to take who aimed it at the giant scissor sign hanging up over where two men were hiding. He continued to assault it with bullets, Ianto observing as it slowly came loose before dropping to the floor, right through the two guys. Poppy seemed to have no shortage of goons under her belt, more appearing behind them and out of the diner. Using the shield as a battering ram, Ianto slammed into one of them, shooting him once he was down and the shield was tucked away, before turning to the next enemy, dodging a bullet heading his way, watching it scrape against the metal of his knuckles and create a horrid noise that made Ianto’s teeth hurt. Panting, Ianto didn’t stop, grabbing one of them and using his momentum to spin around the man and take a shot at one of the others before landing harshly on the floor. The rest were successfully shot and killed by Eggsy, who went to help him up only to stop, as three pops went off in swift succession, a robot standing in the middle of the plaza with a grenade launcher and three of the explosives heading their way. Ianto had little time to move, but he was safe by Harry who skidded across the ground and aimed his umbrella up at them. Part of the Welshman panicked, hoping the older Kingsman would have his aim and coordination back otherwise they’d be fucked.

The only explosion to go off was after the three grenades had been caught up in the rope Harry had fired, returning them to sender just in time for them to go off, destroying the robot completely. Helping himself up, Ianto brought out the shield again, using it as cover against the shower of robot parts, Eggsy joining him while Merlin sought shelter under Harry’s umbrella. Letting out a breath, Ianto watched the parts tumble to the floor before reloading his gun. That was that battle over but there was still the boss and the sidekick to deal with who were hauled up in the diner. With the shield away and gun in hand, Ianto followed the others into the building.

“Eggsy, Merlin, get the case.” Harry ordered as the youngest shot at Charlie, who used his prosthetic hand to block the bullets as he scampered off with the red case they needed. The two men followed him quickly, leaving Poppy with Harry and himself. The place had a 1950s American aesthetic to it but off to the right sided, in two kennels, sat two robot dogs that just ruined the whole look and stood out like a sore thumb. One stood up, growling at them while the other was asleep, charging up by the looks of it. “You are going to tell us what the access code is.” Harry threatened Poppy, the umbrella pointed at her, but she didn’t seem too bothered, just whistling as if calling her guard dog, the robot canine leaping from its kennel and charging at Harry. He stopped it in its tracks with a well-timed stun bullet yet the dog just caught it in its mouth, chewed it up, then spat it out, continuing its charge and attacking Harry's umbrella which he'd opened up for cover. Its claws ripped at the material, showing off the protective screen underneath and eventually Harry gave up, giving the umbrella to the dog and bolting off.

That left Ianto with Poppy, turning to look at her. She smiled at him in a sick but sweetly way, hand on her hip.

"Just hold on a second." She hummed and Ianto lingered, training his gun on her.

"Just give us the code, Ms."

"How about no." She giggled and Ianto sighed, hating it when the bad guys decided to play the hard way. A beep sounded from the remaining occupied kennel and Ianto turned to it, the sleeping dog now standing up at full power. "Bennie, Bennie, Bennie! Get him!" Ianto's stomach dropped as the metal dog lunched at him, so he did the only thing he could think o f. Ianto ran, gun forgotten. He burst out the main doors of the diner, the dog hot on his heels as he bounded away, breathing heavily already and still a little tired from the prior fight but Ianto did not look forward to being mauled by that thing, so he ran into the beauty shop, the closest one to him. Ianto yelped as the dog collided with him, throwing him off his feet and crashing down onto the floor. Luckily his suit was claw-proof too, and he wasn't stunned for long, clambering up and grasping a bunch of lipsticks on the side, throwing them at the dog and briefly confusing it. After it got over its confusion silver metal splashed with new colours, it jumped at Ianto however he used one of the round, metal shelves as his cover, the dog unable to get him through it as it made a mess with all the makeup that had lined the shelves.

It was only a temporary cover, so Ianto went to punch the beast in the face with his prosthetic arm. He got it once, then twice, before it caught on and on the third pass, rather than hitting metal, Ianto’s hand ended up clamped between its jaws. Its grip was strong and Ianto couldn't pull his arm free, struggling as hard as he could. The dog seemed to have other ideas, sharp teeth crushing down on the limb and Ianto was forever grateful he couldn't feel any pain in it any more, otherwise, as the beast managed to rip the limb from where it was attached to Ianto, he might have been in excruciating pain. Instead, he was painless and watching as the dog destroyed his arm beyond repair, leaving him with only the one functioning arm and without his best, and newest weapons.

"Fuck." Ianto huffed, looking around him and spotting an assortment of hairsprays. He grabbed the closest one, pointing it towards some conveniently placed candles, and igniting the spray. Using his makeshift blowtorch, Ianto aimed it at the dog, causing it to stumble back, blinded and whining, until it used all of its strength on the shelf in between them to throw Ianto across the room. He landed in a yellow chair, a pot of what seemed to be liquid gold beside it, beams melting down a solid gold bar above it. The dog stopped just before him and Ianto looked at it, cornered and stuck, armless and fucked. Until he looked at the bot of gold beside him. The dog pounced, but Ianto pulled down the contraption at his side, pouring liquid hot gold onto the machine and making it stumble back and struggle to move as the gold cooled and solidified. Relaxing back in his chair, Ianto shut his eyes just briefly, breathing in and settling himself. That was that threat over, now they needed to get the code and the antidotes out, so Ianto moved from the chair, stepping around the mess on the floor and noticing how his suit was splattered with bits of lipstick and foundation and nail varnish, making him scowl deeply.

Exiting the beauty salon, Ianto caught sight of Harry leaving the cinema, he looked uninjured from his encounter with the other robo-dog thankfully, and down the end of the plaza, near the diner, was Charlie hanging from a tree by his prosthetic arm, and Eggsy hunched over a form on the floor. Ianto's blood ran cold as he realised who it was, racing over and skidding to a stop, repeating no, no,  _ no _ , over and over again in his head. They were not losing anyone else today. Merlin was lying on the floor, face bloodied and battered no doubt from his own baseball bat but to Ianto's entire relief, his chest rose up and down with steady breaths. Harry came to kneel beside Merlin's head, hands gingerly touching the man and Ianto could see complete worry in the older man's eye as he looked at his unconscious husband.

"You two deal with-" Harry started but was interrupted by a thud that caught their attention. Charlie had dislocated his prosthetic, freeing himself from his hanging position, glaring the group of them down. Ianto glared right back, stalking away from Merlin's side and closer to Charlie.

"Hey Charlie, long time no see." Ianto waved with his arm like he was greeting an old friend but Charlie just scowled more.

"I don't understand how you survived."

"Neat little trick of mine, might teach you one day." Ianto winked. "Give us the code."

"No, we're not done yet." He growled and Ianto rolled his eyes.

"Well, at least it's fair, both one armed and all." Ianto shrugged, rolling up his dangling sleeves to get them out of the way. Once he was ready, Charlie charged like a bull, so Ianto stepped to the left and threw his fist up, hitting his opponent in the face but it hardly slowed him. Charlie swung his arm around, Ianto dodged, Charlie pushed Ianto with his arm and Ianto stumbled back but kept his balance. Charlie's fist came at him again but all Ianto had to do was duck and as Charlie moved with the momentum of his swing, Ianto jabbed his elbow hard into the man's side. Not letting Charlie recover, Ianto kicked him to the ground though Charlie grasped his ankle, pulling him down too, and they began to tousle, rolling around on the ground until Ianto managed to get a hold of Charlie's wrist, twisting it and making the man yell. Distracted by the pain, Ianto moved speedily, rolling away from him and turning Charlie over, then bringing his arm behind his back and successfully pinning him to the floor. Footsteps to his left had Ianto turning, though he kept all his weight fully on the man beneath him, Eggsy standing close with a look of disgust on his face as he stared down at Charlie.

"Care to do the honours?" Ianto asked and Eggsy nodded wordlessly. The two switched places, Ianto rolling his arm back as his heartbeat settled from all the exercise. Harry was still watching over Merlin behind him.

"Give me the code!" Eggsy demanded, hand grasping Charlie's chin.

"I can't. Only Poppy knows it."

"Well, then you're no use to me, are you? For the record, Charlie, I'm more of a gentleman than you'll ever be. But right now, it's time to drop the gentle bit." Eggsy threatened, face distorted with anger and hatred at the man underneath him and Ianto couldn't blame him in the slightest. "This is for Kingsman. For my mate Brandon. For Roxy. For JB. And for Jack. Good night, bruv." With that, Eggsy snapped Charlie's' neck, Ianto wincing at the sickening sound of bone crunching and breaking but at least that was all over. He stood and picked up the case while Ianto checked his guns one by one for their ammo.

"You two deal with Poppy, we'll be alright." Harry reassured them once Eggsy made to return to Merlin's side. Ianto nodded and Eggsy got himself one of the many discarded assault rifles, and they walked into the diner where Poppy was waiting behind the bar.

"Hey fellas." She greeted as they both held her at gunpoint, seemingly unfazed by everything as she rested her hand on her fisted hand.

"You're going to give us the code." Ianto told her.

"Mmm. Or what? 'Cause you don't seem like the kind of gentleman who would hurt a lady." She leered, pleased with herself and smiling as she thought she'd got them there. Eggsy checked over the counter top for any hidden weapons, and he nodded to Ianto to tell him she was unarmed, allowing him to sit his gun back in its holster.

"Maybe not, but I never though genocide was very ladylike." Ianto replied, sitting down on one of the stools.

"Right. Enough small talk." Eggsy decided, setting down the red case and opening it up for Poppy. "Give us the code."

"Sure. No. I don't think so." She said sarcastically, setting the lid down. The two of them shared a look and Ianto reached forward, grabbing Poppy's arm and pinning her down against the case. "Ooh-" Eggsy extracted the endgame syringe from the glasses case given to him by Merlin, injecting it right into Poopy's neck. "Ow!" They let her go, sitting back down.

"Heroin." Eggsy declared, looking at the syringe while Poppy touched the back of her neck. "You know, where I come from... this shit you've been peddling's ruined a lot of lives. But yours is even more deadly. But it feels so nice, it's gonna make you lower your guard."

"Mmm." She smiled, amused by this in a way that made Ianto unsettled.

"Our colleague, Merlin, managed to synthesize your horrible little formula and speed up its effects." Ianto explained, Poppy watching as the blue rash spread over her hands. "I believe you have about just under eight minutes before paralysis sets in and your breathing stops. But, of course, you know all about that."

"So here's the deal. You release the antidote worldwide, and we make sure you get a dose." Promised Eggsy and Poppy looked at him in wonder.

"I have to give you the code to live? Honey, you're so smart. You should work for me." She began to slur, clearly enjoying the effects of the drug, though her tone stayed patronising and with an air of mockery in it.

"Right. Give us the code." Eggsy ordered, having reached his limit

"Why not? The decree's getting signed soon…" She trailed off, swaying slightly. She was definitely taking her time. "Anyhoo- um… It's 'Viva las vegan.' Get it? 'Viva las…' Mmm." She then turned to Ianto, looking him up and down with one eye half closed and the other wide open. The blue rash was becoming more prominent on her pale skin. "Come snuggle with me. I like you." Poppy cooed and Ianto scoffed.

"I don't think so." Ianto smiled emotionlessly Poppy began to giggle, her eyes rolling back as the drug took full effect, reaching the mania stage. She swayed more on her feet and Ianto found it quite unsettling, like she didn't care at all that these things were happening to her, she was willing to die even though she had given them the code, though he supposed if she thought the American President was signing that decree, than her hard work would be done. Ianto didn't feel like being the one to break the news to her. Except it seemed he wouldn't have to, as Poppy collapsed to the floor with a thud, and when Ianto looked over the counter to her still form on the ground, his glasses told him that there was no heartbeat and she was, in fact, deceased. "She's OD'd. You gave her too much." Ianto addressed Eggsy who didn't look bothered.

"Did I? You know, I really don't have as much experience with all this drug stuff as people think." He said before pushing the case in Ianto's direction. "Better be the right code" Ianto hoped to god and every other diety or higher power out there that it was, not sure how they'd save everyone if it wasn't, so he began to type it in, slow with only one hand.

"Viva las-" Ianto never got to finish typing in the code as a thick and coarse rope looped itself around his neck and pulled taut. He gasped in voluntarily, hand flying up to tug it away or at least give him enough slack to breathe. 

"So?" Said a familiar voice and Ianto silently swore to himself. Eggsy leapt from his seat immediately while Ianto moved a little slower, lifting himself up and turning around. There, in double denim, a light blue shirt, and black cowboy hat, was Agent Whiskey, rope slung around Ianto's neck and gun pointed at Eggsy. 

"Don't move, kid. You try anything funny, and I'll turn this thing electric. Now give up your guns, fellas. Slide 'em over." Ianto had to briefly let go of the rope to grab his gun, deciding from then on, he would carry a spare prosthetic with him, maybe have it so it could fold up and just sit inside his pocket until needed. He wondered if Ginger Ale could do that for him. Gun in hand, Ianto slid it across the floor, towards Whiskey before taking hold of the rope again.

"Whiskey. We are all on the same side here. You've had a head injury.” Eggsy tried to mediate, keeping calm so that Whiskey didn’t freak out and kill them both. “The exact same thing happened to Harry. You're having some sort of brain glitch.”

"Nope. My brain's all good, kid. And you know what? I reckon the same was true for your friend Harry outside.” Whiskey stalked forward and Ianto gulped, Harry and Merlin had been left outside and even though he knew both men were perfectly capable of looking after themselves, something about Whiskey’s tone had Ianto concerned. “Real fine instincts, I'll give him that. So stay still... or I'll dice him up so small, you can take him home in a bucket... and still have room for what's left of your buddy, Jack.” He warned and Ianto felt his stomach flip at the mention of his partner, fingers tightening around the rope as his jaw clenched

"Well, that's just fucking great. You're working for the president?” Eggsy spat.

"That asshole?” He laughed “Hell no. It's a matter of personal principle, agent. No more drug users and the Statesman share price rockets. “

"So those are your principles? Making money? Our agencies were founded to uphold peace. To protect the innocent.”

"Do you wanna know who was innocent?” Whiskey asked and Ianto expecting a sob story to follow, hoping this wasn’t going to be like a cliché movie. “My high school sweetheart. Love of my life. Pregnant with my little boy. He'd be about your age now... if his mama hadn't got caught in the crossfire when two meth head freaks decided to rob a fucking convenience store.” The last three words were filled with more venom and Ianto had ever really heard, staying silent as Whiskey caught his gaze. His mind flicked back to Lisa, although he knew those things weren’t the same. “A world without those people in it... sure smells like peace to me.” The American smiled almost desperately, like he was on the verge of breaking but couldn’t let them see. “You break the law, you pay the price. Good riddance to all of them. That's why I got to destroy that case. Now slide it over, Agent… whichever one you are.”

Unwillingly, Ianto shut the case and picked it up, sending it in Whiskey’s direction as he stopped it with his foot and thanked them both, like it was just a simple business transaction, and they weren’t being held at gun point and rope-point. It clattered loud against the floor and Ianto resume his hold on the rope.

"Do you know what, Ianto? I think he's got a point.” Eggsy declared and Ianto looked at him in utter surprise, his eyebrows knitting together in disbelief as he registered what his friend just said. “I think it sounds like a bright idea.” Through the shock, Ianto registered what he said, understanding the underlining message just as Eggsy turned his watch towards the man and a bright glow emitted from it. One of their newer abilities, great at stunning and blinding the enemy for a brief period of time. It worked, Whiskey turning away, losing his focus for long enough for Ianto to let go of the looped rope, grabbing the length that kept him attached to Whiskey and swinging it from side to his. The America, still holding the end, was pulled along with it and Ianto tugged harder, watching as the gun skittered from his grip. However, his victory was short-lived as Whiskey pressed the button on the hand piece and the end of the lasso lit up electric blue. It travelled along the rope like a snake, fast and heading in only one direction, but Ianto had been ready for it, moving as swiftly as he could and removing the rope from around his neck. He felt the buzz of the electricity bite his fingers as he was almost too late but Ianto knew there’d be no lasting damage. Ianto threw it to the floor as Eggsy aimed for his gun that lay left alone on the floor.

Dodging the rope, Ianto fell backwards against the metal stools, unable to pick himself up in time as the rope came around again, slicing effortlessly through the metal piping. Ianto tumbled properly to the ground this time, back hitting it with a thud as he went under the rope like a limbo bar. To the side, Eggsy had grabbed his gun only for it to be cut in half by the lasso. Taking his chance now the Stateman was focused on Eggsy, Ianto barrelled into the man, catching him in the stomach with his shoulder and forcing him to lose his grip on the lasso. It was dropped but Ianto was also thrown to the floor again too, the air forced from his lungs. Whiskey’s gun was drawn and pointed his way but before he could shoot Eggsy’s foot collided with the American’s face, stunning him long enough for the younger man to take his arm and force it away, a few shots going off before Eggsy was thrown. Getting up once again, Ianto kicked out, propelling the gun from Whiskey’s grip then using his hole body to push Whiskey back into the counter top. His fist thwacked against Ianto’s cheek, sending a throbbing pain through his cheek and jawbone, and the Welshman stumbled away to collect himself.

When he focused back on the fight, Eggsy and Whiskey were tousling with a knife, so, Ianto sprung back in, punching Whiskey right in the face satisfyingly. Ianto got in a second hit before Whiskey punched Eggsy and the kid lost his grip, being moved away. Whiskey came at Ianto next, swinging the knife wildly, but he was able to dodge as Eggsy recovered and jumped on the American’s back. He stumbled back, hitting Eggsy against the counter and thrusting his knife in his direction before Eggsy pushed him towards Ianto who kicked him square in the chest back to Eggsy. It was like a small game of tennis but more deadly and perhaps more fun, until Eggsy threw Whiskey backwards with his omentum, and he tumbled over the counter. Ianto didn’t get to react as a sudden frying pan headed his way, hitting him dead on the forehead and everything went black before he hit the ground.

Ianto returned back to consciousness to a grating, high pitch slicing noise and cold tiles under his cheek and it wasn’t long before everything came back to him, especially as, as soon as Ianto stood up a butcher’s knife flew right at him, and he barely had time to evade getting sliced up. Whiskey was back with his lasso, leaping over the counter and using it to latch onto his gun and reel it in. Ianto grabbed onto his wrist as the gun fired once, holing it tight with his arm but unable to really pull the gun from his grip with only the singular hand available. While he was working on a way to get the gun free without letting go of the arm, Whiskey sued his roped to grasp Eggsy by the next this time so Ianto slammed his foot down on Whiskey’s, distracting him enough so that it wasn’t strangling Eggsy any more, though the gun went off a fifth time. As they struggled, Ianto didn’t notice until it was too late, but Whiskey threw the end of the lasso across the room, it landing in the meat grinder, still tight around Eggsy’s neck. There wasn’t much Ianto could do, his own hand full right now as he struggled his very best to get the gun from Whiskey’s hands but it was still two versus one and the trigger kept getting pulled, worried they’d run out of bullet before Ianto could save his friend or at least shoot Whiskey.

However, as he managed to press Whiskey to the counter, an opportunity arose and Ianto seized it immediately. Somehow aiming the gun and getting his finger over Whiskey’s on the trigger, the gun went off and the bullet pierced the rope that was almost all the way into the meat grinder. Using all of his momentum, Whiskey yanked them both away from the counter, still locked in a struggle and his fist connected with Ianto’s side, then his shoulder, sending a jolt of pain through the amputated limb. Ianto yelped, his body aching and head throbbing from the introduction to Poppy’s frying pan. Using his foot, Ianto brought it up, connecting it with the American’s crotch and having him double over, feeling the pain himself and wincing before knocking the gun from his hand finally and throwing him towards Eggsy who kicked him in the face hard. Ianto got in there with another punch and Whiskey staggered back towards the meat grinder. Not really thinking, Ianto managed to lift the American up enough for Eggsy to slam him down into it. Ianto watched his body slowly disappeared into the grinder with a sickening noise, grimacing and feeling his stomach turn, deciding he’d stay off meat for a while and thinking back to the Brecon Beacon Cannibals just briefly.

“Put alpha gel on that, dickhead.” Eggsy taunted and Ianto took a step away from the meat grinder, choosing to focus on retrieving the case rather than the gore that just happened. His body made just about every hit clear to him as he bent down to grab it. Ianto set it down and handed it to Eggsy to do the honours. "’Viva las vegan.’ This one's for you, Jack.” Eggsy said and Ianto chewed his lip, wondering if he should tell him that Jack really wasn’t gone. He decided not to, not yet any way, maybe on the plane home or after, for now, he just watched as the world map showed up with each drone location on screen and the words  _ “ANTIDOTE RELEASED”  _ printed themselves at the bottom.

"Let's group up and call Champ, they'll need to know about Whiskey." Ianto sighed eventually, adrenaline dropping, patting Eggsy on the back who nodded, following Ianto out of the dinner to the other two Kingsman. By the looks of it, Merlin was awake and Harry was doing his best to struggle out of his bindings. In fact, both men had their ties gagging then and zip ties keeping their hands tied behind them. Eggsy rushed forward, taking away both makeshift gags and pat himself for a knife, coming back empty-handed and looking to Ianto who shrugged. His prosthetic would have had one but that was dog food now.

"Hang on-" He said, sprinting back to the diner and rooting through the drawers of a knife. He found the sharpest one and brought it back to the others, handing it to Eggsy.

"Is she dead?" Harry asked, rubbing his wrists.

"Accidentally OD'd her, but she gave us the code anyway." Ianto informed him and Harry nodded, standing up and helping Eggsy hauled Merlin to a stand, the man unsteady from his head injury. "Before we head back to the plane, I need to find what's left of my boyfriend." Ianto straightened out his blazer and made to leave only he didn't get far, noticing the others weren't following. Ianto raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Jack blew up bruv." Eggsy said as if Ianto hadn't been there when it had happened.

"I know."

"No amount of alpha gel or prosthetic is going to help him." He tried to reassure, a sympathetic look on his face. 

"He won't need them."

"I'm confused." Harry spoke up. "You don't seem that upset."

"Yeah, well Jack is different."

"How so?"

"You might as well know." Ianto sighed deeply, his lives had already merged so much, what harm could a little more do. "He's immortal."

"Immortal?" Eggsy echoed in disbelief and Ianto nodded confidently as they slowly took up the walk out of here.

"Mmhmm, he'll regrow his body over time, might take a few hours." Ianto made a quick detour to grab the baseball bat, not wanting any more stepping in landmines. "Though, this has never happened before, so I don't know if he'll just grow a new body from the remaining parts and join it all together or if a whole new one comes along."

"That's the weirdest fucking thing you ever said bruv." Eggsy laughed and Ianto smiled at them.

"Mmm. You know what's even weirder?"

"What?"

"He somehow passed his immortality on to me." They stopped in their tracks and Ianto quickly hurried along before he possibly received the lecturer of a lifetime.

~~~

_ "It's a day of worldwide celebration as millions rejoice after they or their loved ones were saved from death.” _

_ "Distribution of The Golden Circle antidote continues and field hospitals are emptying... as victims return to their homes tonight, cured.” _

_ "The president actively sanctioned the deaths of hundreds of millions of people and lied to the public. I am proud to be responsible for his impeachment and I will do everything I can to ensure a smooth transition of power.” _

"In honour of this historic occasion, we have purchased a distillery in Scotland.” Champ announced, opening a bottle, to them all as they stood or sat in the large room with the large table and copious amounts of alcohol bottles. All the seats were empty to the naked eye bar one, along with Champ and Tequila’s until you put some Kingsman or Statesman glasses on, leaving the rest of them standing and crowding around the opposite end to Champ, apart from Merlin and Jack who were both sitting down in the medbay, being looked after by the Statesman medical staff. Both had argued their cases about joining the rest of them but hadn’t won their arguments, Jack still recovering from completely regrowing his whole body and Merlin still suffering with a serious concussion. After they’d come home from Poppy’s weird blend of 1950s American and ancient Cambodian ruins, Ianto had been met with armful of a tearful Gwen, who had hugged him so tightly in a way that Ianto’s first thoughts had been that they were too late. He’d spent most of his time, if all of it, in Jack's room, watching and waiting as his body slowly regrew itself, melding bone, forming muscles, knitting skin together. It had been slow, agonisingly so, but even more worse for Jack who, to Ianto's horror, regained consciousness before even a thin layer of skin could return and had had to live in pain for quite some time before it was safe to sedate him.

“This shows the world that Kingsman is now joining the liquor business. Before we were cousins. Now we're brothers, working side-by-side.” He smiled, pouring himself and Tequila a glass. Ianto looked at the one in his own hand, he’d never quite had whiskey that tasted like this, though he couldn’t say it was his favourite even if it was miles better than Welsh prosecco. “All our resources are now yours. You can rebuild. “

"Yeah, y'all shittin' in high cotton now.” Tequila jutted in and Ianto rolled his eyes a little.

"Agent Tequila, this is a formal occasion where's your tie and jacket?”

"Sorry, sir.” The Agent apologised.

"Maybe the Kingsman boys can dress you properly.” Champ smirked before raising his glass. “To our union!”

"To our union!” The rest of the Statesman cheered and everyone downed their shots apart from Owen who just looked on in sheer boredom. Ianto knew he’d be disappointed he’d missed out on all the action but also staying with Tosh had been the most important thing to him. Ianto was glad he’d be here anyway, knowing Tosh and John were in capable and known hands was a comfort Ianto had gladly taken.

"Final order of business we would be honoured if one of you two-” He gestured to Harry and Eggsy. “-would be our new Agent Whiskey.”

"Yeah, this two Galahad thing is just fucking confusing.” tequila added in and Ianto learned forward to look at the two Kingsman, one eyebrow raised. He’d had no idea this was going to be asked but by the way they both stuttered and stammered for a reply, Ianto knew neither wanted to take the offer. They were Kingsman through and through and despite America’s idealistic weather and passable liquor, that just wasn’t their vibe. They were saved by Ginger Ale speaking up.

"Champ I'd like to throw my hat in the ring.” She said and Ianto felt his lips curl up slightly, the Statesman could use a lady as a field agent.

"All right!” He agreed. “Statesmen, the vote.” Ianto watched as every single man voted in agreement. “Looks like she's in. Have a seat.” Eggsy, being a gentleman as ever, pulled out the last available seat for her, pushing it in as she sat herself down “To Agent Whiskey!”

"Agent Whiskey!”

~~~

“Stop messing with your tie.” Ianto reprimanded John as the man tugged at the fabric tied neatly around his neck.

“But it’s annoying.” John hissed back and Ianto rolled his eyes. He felt like he was dealing with a child at this point, getting John into a tuxedo had been hard enough, Ianto wasn’t going to let him ruin it. The Welshman looked to Jack, also wearing a tuxedo underneath his greatcoat, but the immortal just shrugged so Ianto scowled at him. They were sitting, almost patiently, in a large church where even Ianto felt out of place but right now, there was nowhere else he’d rather be. It was Eggsy’s wedding day, after all. He was marrying Princess Tilde so everything had to be all fancy like and regal though Eggsy was allowed to invite less than royal guests, even John which was why he was in a tux. The rest of the Torchwood team were there, along with Champ, Tequila, and Whiskey, and Eggsy’s mother and sister, and Merlin and Harry. The latter standing right by Eggsy’s side as his best man while they all waited for the bride to appear.

Soon enough she did and Tilde looked as beautiful as ever, the ceremony going smoothly and Ianto spotted Jack crying through the vows. As the now married couple kissed, everyone one stood and cheered, Ianto clapping as best he could with one metal hand - courtesy of Statesman after ruining the last one - feeling overwhelmingly proud of his little brother as Elton John, who had provided music for the wedding, yelled his approval from where he sat at the organ.

A while later into the after party, with the bride and groom swaying in each other's arms and the guests either dancing too, enjoying food, or mingling with one another. Ianto was sat at one of the tables, enjoying some high quality champagne courtesy of the Statesman, watching Jack dance with some of the children thought the Welshman had no idea whose kids they were apart from young Daisy, Egssy's sister. John was off god knows where, probably getting drunk on whatever alcohol he could find or enjoying a friendly fist fight with Agent Tequila. Owen and Tosh were slowly dancing with one another, as were Gwen and Rhys and Ianto felt a content smile pull on his lips.

"Not dancing, my boy?" Ianto didn't look over until Harry had sat himself down, finding Merlin with him also.

"Could say the same about you." Ianto shot back, taking another sip of his champagne.

"I think we're in need of a talk, before you get tipsy on that stuff."

"Bold of you to assume I'm not already. Nah, I'm not, unfortunately."

"Immortality. I wouldn't believe it if Jack wasn't standing there after being blown to piece."

"Mm."

"Does that mean the missile got you?"

"The building too. I don't recommend it though, but at least I was only crushed."

"Only crunched?!"

"Regrowing a body seems much more painful than having your spine fix itself and skull go from being carved in."

"How does it feel- coming back, I mean?"

"Like being dragged over broken glass."

"You didn't gain your arm back."

"No… as far as I understand it, it reverts me back to the state I was in when I became immortal though I really can't explain how that came about, even Jack doesn't know."

"Maybe it's an STD' Ianto choked on his champagne but thankfully, nobody died at the wedding that night.


End file.
